#(Found this in my drafts while mindlessly scrolling through my drafts

[merwgue]

Me core

[nayeoniiz]

WEBCAM PERV! (1)

pairings ❥ heeseung x fem!reader

point of view ❥ third person, omniscient

warnings ❥ mutual masturbation, cyberstalking, noncon recording

synopsis ❥ you meet heeseung on omegle and quickly hit it off until you accidentally disconnect. feeling at a loss from not being able to find him again, you give up and live life as if it never happened. unbeknownst to you, however, he turns out to be a hacker who hacked into your camera, resorting to watching your secretly from behind the screen… until he didn’t.

genre ❥ smut

word count ❥ 4.4k

taglist: @rayofsunshineeee

Webcam Perv! (2)

author’s note: sorry it took me a bit longer to release, i ended up rewriting over the whole draft. i was gonna write the full story in one go, but if there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that i love making series. anyway i hope yall enjoy! & a reminder that my requests are open (send as an ask or submission pls do not dm me lol). go check out my other stories while you’re at it bc i have much more cooking! not proofread so don’t come for me!

y/n lay blank faced on her bed with her phone in hand. it had been hours since she’d gotten home from her classes, and now she was just scrolling mindlessly on tiktok out of boredom. her room was quiet except for the occasional hum of her heater and the everchanging audios blasting from her phone’s speakers.

she sighed, tossing her phone to the side resorting to staring at the ceiling. as the days were growing colder, y/n couldn’t help but to feel this growing sense of loneliness creeping in, like there was something missing that she couldn’t quite put her finger onㅡexcitement was the closest word she think of. she didn’t have many friends to talk to, or text, or hang out with—just her best friend natty, but the girl was currently unreachable as she had already fallen asleep after their brief phone call.

midterms were always the dryest times for y/n. after spending hours in the library, forcing far too many categories of knowledge down her throat for her own goodㅡ just to end up with barely above average scores, she was too drained to do much of anything else when she got home. but, it was hard to just sleep. she was intransigent when it came to resting after studying because she wanted to give herself the free time she’d lost instead. usually being on her phone, and rotting her brain away with the useless curated content that she handpicked for herself would suffice. but on days like thisㅡ where her studying ended close to (or in this case, after) midnight, it wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy the dopamine she was longing for.

after a few moments of lying in a frozen state of staring off into nothing, she reached for her laptop, opening it on impulse. omegle. it had been a while since she’d used it, and honestly, it wasn’t the best idea, but she figured it might help pass the time. and maybe it’d even give her some form of human interaction, though her hopes weren’t too high given the website’s reputation. she typed “k-pop” into the category field, hoping it’d narrow down the pool to people around her age who might share at least one interest with her.

the first few chats weren’t anything special. she ran through the typical brief hellos, the awkward pauses, and of course the familiar “stranger has disconnected.” a few times, however, she was met with the sight of creepy old men who took pleasure in flashing, reacting at lightning speed to skip the chats before things could get worse. some people seemed normal at first, friendly even, but as soon as they’d start saying weird thingsㅡor worse, making noises that gave away their intentions, it’d soil her mood once again as she refreshed her tab.

after getting skipped again for the umpteenth time, y/n found herself hovering her mouse over the “new chat” button, debating. she looked at the clock in the corner of her screen, she had already wasted 30 minutes trying to find a normal human being to talk to. she was beginning to wonder if this was really a good idea to begin with. was it even worth possibly getting harassed for another half hour, in the name of being social? she weighed her options: she could either waste another 2 hours on tiktok, or go to bed. neither seemed appetizing for the hunger of connection she craved. with a sigh, she decided to try one more. and if it didn’t work out, it just meant that it was time to call it a night. she clicked to start a new chat.

stranger is typing…

stranger: hii

you: hello

stranger: m23

you: f22

stranger: cam?

you: earn it?

this one didn’t seem too bad so far, but she wasn’t going to make an early judgement. the man seemed to respect her decision as he quickly changed the conversation. they kept things light, alternating on asking each other random questions back and forth about hobbies, favorite foods, movies, shows, and music. the conversation was easy, fun even, and y/n found herself smiling a little despite the earlier frustration. it was like she was finally getting what she was looking for. with the conversation being tame, he took it as a green light to ask again.

stranger: can i see you now?

you: fine lol

y/n hesitated before turning her camera on and adjusted her hair quickly before looking at the screen. the male in her vision had a sharp, almost angelic face, with delicate features that seemed to be personally sculpted by the man above. his hair was dark and tousled, the slight messiness giving him a laid-back, calm vibe with his headset only adding character to his visual as they laid over his ears. his eyes were a captivating deep brown. they were soft and friendly, it made it hard to look away. even through the webcam, it was clear he had this undeniable charm, his steady gaze hinting that he knew the effect he had on others. the two of them stayed still, ogling each other for a bit, the stare down only being interrupted when he abruptly started typing again.

stranger is typing…

stranger: damn ur fine lol

you: thx so are you

stranger: you in korea?

you: yeah

stranger: me too

stranger is typing…

stranger: audio?

you: yk what? yeah

heeseung and y/n both go to turn on their audio. while her room was silent, disregarding the small noise coming from her room’s heater, heeseung had r&b music softly playing in the background. it only added to this boy next door vibe she was getting from him. the two of them were silent for a second before heeseung decided to break the ice by speaking first.

“hello? let me know if you can hear me.” his voice came through clearly, deep and smooth, carrying a natural warmth that drew her in without him even trying. a part of her was convinced he had to secretly be a weirdo. what was someone as attractive as him even doing on this site, yet alone at this hour? she took a breath before answering.

“hi, yeah i can hear you,” she replied, her tone a little uncertain, unsure of how to match his cool energy. she wasn’t exactly the extroverted type of person to begin with, you can only imagine how much harder it was to speak when such a captivating face was waiting for her response in real time.

heeseung only chuckled softly, the sound seamlessly exuding natural confidence. “so… i guess we finally get to talk now.”

y/n smiled at his words, her need for approval rising as she juggled through all the responses she could make to keep him engaged, “yeah, seems like it,” she responded, her voice was steady now as she tried to shake off the nervousness creeping in. 

heeseung chuckled, shifting closer to his keyboard as his fingers danced over the keys. the music in the background shifted, the beat changing just as he leaned back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head. his voice lowered a notch as he spoke, a hint of amusement in his tone. ”i’m, heeseung, by the way.”

“y/n,” she responded.

“i gotta admit,” he said, “i wasn’t sure if you’d actually turn on your mic.”

“why’s that?” she asked, an almost muted giggle escaping her lips as she twirled a strand of her hair, her fingers displaying how nervous she felt. heeseung watched her with a quiet intensity, noticing every little movement she made. the way her fingers fidgeted and how she avoided meeting his gaze through the screen.

“i don’t know,” he said, his tone lazy and nonchalant, but holding a teasing undertoneㅡ a subtle shift she didn’t quite catch onto. “guess i’m just lucky you did.” he didn’t say anything about her fidgeting, though. he didn’t need to. she seemed like the type to change her behavior once it was called out, and he was more captivated by it than he let on. there was something about her shyness, moreso the way she couldn’t quite hide it, that intrigued him. “so, what do you usually do when you’re not chatting with strangers on the internet?”

his question had caught y/n off guard for a brief moment, another nervous laugh slipping past her lips as she tugged on her shirt’s collar, adjusting it to make sure nothing was out of place though she didn’t actually need to. she didn’t know why, but something about talking to him felt different from the others. “uh, not much… if i’m not studying, i just watch tiktoks or call my friend if she’s not tired.” she replied hoping the answer sounded casual enough.

“hm, sounds like you’ve got some time to kill,” heeseung smirked, inching his chair closer to the screen. he opened a second tab, the soft clatter of his typing blending effortlessly with the mellow r&b drifting through the background.

“yeah, guess i do. life’s… kinda mundane, you know?” y/n replied sheepishly. her gaze followed his, noting the slight movement of his hands just out of view, but chucking it up to him searching for another song to play as the music shifted again. he didn’t back away from the screen this time, though. instead, he kept his eyes locked on hers, unwavering.

“i get it,” heeseung replied, his voice lowering slightly, but still keeping its laidback manner, like they were just two people having an ordinary conversation. “i’m the same, but i'm more of a youtube guy, i found out about this site through a video on there.” as he spoke, his finger subtly danced across the keyboard, the screen flickering with the quiet download of her IP address. his eyes stayed on the camera, his expression open and unreadable, like he was genuinely listening to her.

“that’s interesting, this app usually has a bad rep. like, there’s only creeps on here,” y/n said, though her words seemed to be misunderstood as heeseung furrowed his brows.

“are you trying to insinuate that i’m a creep?”

her eyes widened in shock, and she quickly slapped a hand over her mouth. a stutter broke through her words. “what?! no! i’m just saying—i’ve run into a lot of them tonight before i landed on you. so i was just… i don’t know. forget i said anything.” she sulked, her face reddening with embarrassment at her failed attempt to relate. heeseung watched in awe, his lips curving into a small, knowing smile, at her mannerisms, finding every one of her reactions so cute. sensing her discomfort, he smoothly shifted the topic.

“i’m kidding, y/n.” he grinned, showcasing his pearly whites. “so… what’s one thing you’ve always wanted to do but never got around to?” he asked, his tone light, but there was an underlying intensity to his gaze. he wasn’t just asking out of curiosity; he was studying her, absorbing every word she said, as if her answers would tell him everything he needed to know.

y/n paused, thinking for a moment before she answered. “probably traveling more. i feel like i’m always stuck in the same routine.”

“yeah, routines can be… limiting. but they’re also comforting, right?” he paused, his eyes flickering to a different part of his screen for just a moment before he continued. “you know, sometimes it’s those little moments, when everything feels a little too safe, that you need to shake things up.” he spoke so casually, like he was giving advice, but it sounded a bit odd to y/n. she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to his words, though she couldn’t put her finger on what it was. regardless, she found herself wanting to stay, wanting to know more. and she was always too paranoid for her own good anyway. it was probably nothing.

“i guess.”

“oh. yeah, but is that the only reason you’re on here?” heeseung’s fingers were still moving on his keyboard, the quiet clicking of the keys going unnoticed now. he wasn’t just talking anymore—he was already pulling the strings, weaving a subtle web around her, all while his words remained smooth and harmless. y/n’s lips pursed in thought, the sudden change in the atmosphere making her feel more curious than she was letting on.

“what do you mean?” she asked, confusion creeping into her tone as she leaned forward, trying to get a better look at him. heeseung’s system, working silently in the background, had breached the security of her wifi by now, scanning through the connected devices, its main goal being to gain access to her phone.

“i mean… it’s almost 4am, saturday night. you’re a cute girl, seem kind of introverted, but you give off this vibe... like you’re looking for some fun.”

whatever dimwitted perception y/n formed of him had shattered. he was no different from any of the other men she’d encountered prior. “oh. i don’t really do… that,” she replied, a slight pout playing on her lips. she moved her mouse to hover over the skip button, but she didn’t click it. something was keeping her here. maybe it was the way he looked at her—too attractive, too confident. she wasn’t sure, but she didn’t move.

heeseung noticed her hesitation, his grin widening. “oh, neither do i,” he said in a humoring manner, brushing her reaction off as if his earlier comment didn’t mean anything. “i just had to test the waters. can you blame me though? it’s not every day you meet an attractive girl on here. you said it yourself, there’s usually only creeps on here, right?”

“yeah,” she laughed, the sound effortlessly drawn out as she got caught in the pull of his charm. any cautions she had before seemed to dissipate as she got lost in his eyes. she debated whether she should just give in—it wasn’t like they’d see each other again, right? but then, the stories about girls who made impulsive choices, and got extorted, crept into her mind. the fear of becoming just another statistic arose.

“what do you have in mind?” she asked, her words slipping out before she could think them through. her people-pleasing tendencies had kicked in, but the smile that spread across his face made her heart race. somehow, it felt good, like she was doing something right. and that made it feel worth it. rewarding, even.

“whatever you’re offering, baby,” heeseung replied smoothly, his voice dipping into an unfamiliar, alluring tone that made her body tingle. as he spoke, his hand moved subtly off-screen, clicking to start recording. the faintest smirk curled on his lips as he leaned closer to the camera, his eyes burning into hers with a suggestiveness that made her feel seen in a way she hadn’t before. desired. wanted.

“i don’t know,” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. a nervous smile played on her lips as her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. her eyes darting away from the camera before flicking back to his. “i’ve never done anything like this before.”

heeseung tilted his head slightly, his smirk widening as he studied her. there was something about her naivety, the way she danced on the edge of her own boundaries, that made his pulse quicken. he decided then and there that if he wasn’t already obsessed before, he definitely was now. utterly and completely.

“well, i’m honored to be the first,” his voice dripped with seduction, but his eyes glinted with something far more sinister.

her cheeks flushed as she hesitated again, her fingers picking at the fabric of her shirt before she finally blurted, “could you maybe…” she paused, laughing softly at how ridiculous she felt to ask. “show me something, too? just to keep it fair.” her words made heeseung pause for a moment before a low chuckle escaped him, growing into full, unrestrained laughter. he leaned back in his chair, shaking his head in amusement, his eyes never leaving her face.

she was truly a character—everything about her was so… adorable. her openness, her immediate trust in a complete stranger, and the impulsivity that seemed to pour out of her without a second thought. it was intoxicating. she was everything he’d been looking for, everything someone like him—a man with desires he dared not say aloud—would dream of finding. and yet, beneath his amusement, there was a darker realization. if she wasn’t careful and kept giving away pieces of herself so easily, someone would take advantage of her. someone crueler, more reckless, more dangerous than him. he couldn’t let that happen. not with anyone else at least. she was his now. and if she was going to be ruined, it would only be by him.

“would you like it better if i go first?” heeseung inquired, his voice smooth as the corners of his lips nearly curled into a restrained smirk. he watched her reaction closely, catching the way her quick, almost desperate nod betrayed her displayed excitement. it was endearing, almost painfully so. it drove him crazy. he pursed his lips, feigning contemplation, before his smile grew wider, softer. “thought so,” he murmured, his tone carrying just enough teasing warmth to make her feel both at ease. she was completely under his spell. 

he reached for his webcam, the movement slow as he decided to savor the moment. tilting it slightly, he aimed it downward, the lens capturing his relaxed posture, legs spread comfortably wide. the soft fabric of his sweatpants clung to him in just the right way, emphasizing his figure without him needing to do much at all. the unthought of confidence in his movements was enough to hold her gaze, her breath catching as the tension in the air thickened. his hands grazed over the fabric covering his length, a small hiss of relief leaving his lips as he did so. she had already gotten him painfully hard without even trying.

lifting his hips, he slides his sweats down. just enough for him to pull his cock out, an unintentional gasp falling from y/n’s lips at the sight of it. he couldn’t hide the rush of pride that surfaced at her reaction. it was a response he’d grown accustomed to from his long list of other victims on the site, but there was something about y/n that struck him differently. her wide-eyed gaze, the way her lips parted slightly as if she wanted to speak but couldn’t find the words—it was enough to ignite a deeper need within him, a desire to draw her in further, to leave her completely captivated by him.

a quiet curse slipped past his lips as he stroked, his hand barely being able to wrap around its girth. his movements were meticulous, unhurried as he moved to spread his precum over the rest of his length. he leaned back slightly, his gaze never leaving her face. his dark eyes carried a silent command, the faintest nod of his head urging her to follow his lead. he didn’t have to say a word—his confidence, his control, it was all laid bare in the way he watched her, waiting to see how far she would go.

it was then that y/n realized she couldn't back out now. not that she wanted toㅡ her curiosity, mingled with the pull he had over her, kept her rooted in place. but it was starting to feel too real, the weight of the moment sinking in as she hesitated, unsure of what he was expecting. the fact that he left it up to her made it even more difficult. her mind raced as she nervously tugged at the bottom of her shirt, praying her choice would be enough to satisfy him.

heeseung's gaze didn't waver, his expression unreadable but intent, as though he were savoring every second of her hesitation. when she finally moved, lifting her shirt to display her breasts. her cheeks burned as she moved her hands over one, massaging and pinching her nipples. his lips twitched into the faintest smile. to her, his reaction was subtle, leaving her questioning if she'd done enough. 

but to heeseung, it was everything. to him, everything about her was intoxicating, from the nervous way she moved, to the unsure glances she gave him. he would have been satisfied just seeing her collarbone. his heart raced at the thought of how easily she gave in, how willingly vulnerable she was in front of him. it inflated his ego even more, knowing he was the first to witness this side of her.

he forced himself to keep his expression composed, though his excitement was nearly impossible to contain. the speed of his fingers absentmindedly sped up, thinking of how he’d be able to relive it again later tonight. and he’d make sure to replay every moment, over and over, obsessing over the way she unwittingly gave herself to him.“ah~ fuck, y/n,” he whimpered, unable to contain the heat growing over him. his eyes snapped shut, immediately imagining his hand to be hers. his hips bucked, as he began thrusting into his fist chasing the feeling of a body he knew now that he just had to get his hands on. tonight wasn’t going to be enough, he needed more. 

y/n didn’t know where her confidence was coming from when her free hand snaked its way down to the hem of her shorts as she pushed past them straight into her panties. she scooted into a slouch allowing herself easier access as she began rubbing on her clit, the pressure soothing its throbbing ache and sending a sweet, shocking sensation throughout her body. she couldn’t bite back the moan that slipped outㅡ the noise sounding like music to heeseung’s ears. oh how jealous he was of her hands now. being able to touch her because he couldn’t. it wasn’t enough, nowhere near it.

”look at me,” he murmured, his voice rough, making her cheeks flush as she slowly opened her eyes to meet his. his gaze was full of desire, making her feel small in a way that was strangely exhilarating. she found herself wanting nothing more than to impress him. she bit her lip as she quickly moved to lower the camera, aiming it to display more of her chest and downward before returning to her prior position on the chair. it didn’t even matter to him that her shorts kept her beautiful cunt a mystery to himㅡ the whole picture was so fucking sexy. the way she was playing with her nipples, pinching and rolling them, the speed of her circular motions increasing as she chased her orgasm, the way her tongue rested on her bottom lip before she bit it, the way sheㅡ

“heeseung~ oh my god.”

fuck. if he was wasn’t already stroking fast enough, he was moving at godspeed now. he wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold back. he rubbed his thumb along his tip’s slit as he kept his pace, the action leaving his hips stuttering. he was so close, and y/n was too. she couldn’t control the volume of her moans, gripping her breast like her life depended on it. “i’m gonna cum, oh my god, oh my god,” the desperation in her voice made him come undone as he bit back a loud, throaty moan. but she kept going, still chasing her climax as her moans got choked out the harder she went on herself.

just as she was about to cum, when she was almost there, her computer suddenly shut down. the screen went black without warning, leaving only an empty, lifeless void. heeseung watched as her screen flickered and then turned dark, his heart sinking in frustration. “fuck!” he swore, shooting forward in his chair, eyes fixed on the blank screen. he slammed a fist on the desk in irritation before quickly ending the recording. his hands moved frantically over the keyboard, reopening his hacking program, desperately trying to figure out what went wrong.

y/n didn’t even notice, her orgasm crashed over her as she felt like every nerve, and cell in her body had come undone. she kept her eyes closed as she let out a breathless sigh, regaining her composure. after a few seconds, y/n opened her eyes to see that her laptop was blank. she frantically clicked on buttons trying to turn it on, clicking the power button which only displayed a red drained battery as if to mock her further. of all times it could have decided to die, why now? the frustration and panic settled in as she realized she may never get to see him again. she didn’t have any ways to contact him, but would he even want to hear from her again? doubt clouded her mind. now there was no way of knowing. she wanted to keep talking to him, but the odds seemed slim. with a heavy sigh, she jumped up, scrambling to plug her laptop into the charger.

meanwhile, heeseung was still navigating through her information. he had closed out of omegle and now his focus was entirely on troubleshooting. he noticed her computer no longer showed up on the network, the last activity was two minutes ago. “that piece of shit must’ve died,” he grumbled under his breath. he figured now would be the time to access her phone’s camera as it would be useless trying to find her again on the website. switching servers on the program, he downloaded the data to his phone and went to lay down. he watched through the front camera on her phone, but it remained in the same spot unmoving. he was getting frustrated.

y/n had wasted almost 45 minutes skipping through hundreds of people in search of his face on omegle. but to no avail, his face never came up again. it was 6am, and she had plans with natty to go through with in the evening. as much as she didn’t want to right now, she had to sleep. oth of them, in their own way, ended up resigned to their separate fates. y/n reluctantly accepted her defeat, bitterly acknowledging that the night had slipped away. but at least for heeseung, there was a sense of satisfaction in knowing he would have another chance to see her again. this wouldn’t be the last time they crossed paths. he’d make sure of that.

Webcam Perv! (2)

[astars-things]

mom?

so I have written a fic similar to this, but y/n was young, and Jack made up a reason, read it -> here, but now that she is older, he decides to tell her the truth

reader is 15

 jack is 34

I was lounging in my room, my laptop balanced on my legs and my phone in my hand. YouTube was playing in the background while I mindlessly scrolled through Instagram. Suddenly, a message popped up. I glanced at the number, but it wasn’t saved in my contacts. Thinking it might be one of Dad’s teammates, I tapped on it without much thought.

The second I read the message, my heart started pounding so hard it felt like it was echoing in my head.

Hey bub, it’s me—your mom. How are you?

I immediately jumped out of bed and bolted down the stairs, my heart racing. I found my dad sitting on the couch, casually watching TV.

"Hey, Dad," I called out, my voice shaking slightly. he turned to look at me.

"Yes, Y/N?" Dad replied, his tone calm and curious.

I opened my mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, I handed him my phone, unable to explain.

As Dad read the message, his face turned pale, the color draining from it almost instantly. My chest tightened as I watched his reaction, my thoughts spiraling out of control.

"How did she even get my number?" I started rambling, the words tumbling out in a rush. "I barely give it out to anyone! I’ve never even met her in my 15 years of living, so why is she randomly texting me now?"

“Breathe, hun,” Dad said softly, his hand rubbing soothing circles on my back. “It’s going to be okay, I promise.”

But it didn’t feel okay. It felt messy, confusing, and overwhelming. I always knew I didn’t have a mom—it was something I had accepted a long time ago. But I never really understood why.

“Why don’t I have a mom?” I blurted out, the question spilling from my lips before I could stop it. It was something I’d wondered for years but never had the courage to ask.

Dad sighed, sitting back against the couch and running a hand through his hair. “Well… you deserve the truth.” His voice was calm but heavy, and I could tell this wasn’t an easy thing for him to talk about.

“Your mom and I… we were together since high school,” he began. “When I got drafted to New Jersey, she moved here with me to support my hockey career. A year later, we had you. But after you were born, she decided she didn’t want to be tied down—to New Jersey, to this life, to being a mom. She made the decision to leave.”

He paused, glancing at me carefully. “It wasn’t easy, Y/N. Raising a newborn while building an NHL career was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But I had you, and that made it all worth it. I wouldn’t change a thing about having you.”

I stared at him, my mind racing. “So she just… left? Just like that?”

He nodded, his eyes filled with a mix of sadness and love. “Yeah. She left. But that doesn’t change how much I love you or how proud I am of you. We’ve made it this far together, haven’t we?”

I nodded slowly, the weight of his words sinking in. It didn’t answer everything—like how she got my number—but it was a start.

[haos-the-tea]

Title: Better Than You Pairing: Mingyu x Fem!Reader x Wonwoo Rating: 18+ Warnings: Language, angst, low self image, sub boy, oral (male and female receiving), Face riding, Sexual praise, Degradation, Choking (male receiving), Over stimulation (male receiving), Voyeurism, Pegging, Edging, Light bondage. WC: 9.3K+

A/N: so this started out as just a means to write hate smut for Mingyu and then evolved into this. IDK how that happened. I also didn’t bother to edit this, so enjoy this first draft nonsense lol.

You didn’t hate your job. You really didn’t. Or, at least that was what you kept telling yourself so that you could get through this hell of a shift. Saturdays were always the absolute worst, the restaurant was crowded and it was always so loud, and orders came out almost as soon as you picked up the previous ones. It was hectic, but it was even worse when you were understaffed. 

“Thank you so much, that order will be out in just a few minutes.” You said, fake smile plastered onto your face as you bid farewell to a table that wasn’t a part of your section. Stalking through the restaurant your smile dropping as you did so, you found the cause of your troubles standing in the kitchen, chatting it up with one of the chefs while the chef worked.

“Kim Mingyu!” You exclaimed, using the noise of the kitchen to cover your shout. He turned to face you and you could see his eyes rolling when he realized just who was calling him.

It was an unspoken fact that you and Mingyu...did not get along. You boss generally made sure to try and schedule the two of you on different days, but that was getting harder and harder

when people kept asking for days off. Which is...fine, you just really hate working with Mingyu. Judging by the look on his face, the feeling was mutual.

“Dude, I just had to take A5’s order because they’d been in your section for twenty minutes and all you’d done was get them drinks! What the hell, man!” You complained, glaring up at the abnormally tall server. He simply rolled his eyes, glancing back over at the chef and bidding him farewell before brushing past you and making sure that he bumped your shoulder as he did.

“Lay off it, you’re not even a manager yet you’re so high strung. Just chill out, it’s not like they’re going to die if I don’t get them soon.” His response was typical, and honestly you were starting to wonder how he still had a job with how much he slacked off.

Turning on your heel you followed him as he made his way into the empty breakroom in an attempt to get away from your lecture.

“I’d be ‘chill’ if I didn’t always have to cover both my section and your section when we worked together. Why can’t you just do your fucking job?” You complained, eyes boring holes into the back of his head as he pulled his phone out of his locker. Mindlessly scrolling it for a moment, before he turned to look back at you with a shit eating grin on his face.

“Order up!” Could be heard in the distance, over the sound of your pounding heart.

“Well, I guess you better go grab that if you’re working both of our jobs.” Before turning back to his phone and laughing at something on the handheld device.

God you hope that you could keep from throttling the man, because you knew for a fact that you didn’t have bail money.

The night continued with Mingyu doing a minimal amount of his tasks, the only thing you were grateful for was that he at least wrapped his own silverware. You probably would have stabbed him with one of the unwrapped forks if he hadn’t. With a farewell to the rest of the staff and a harsh glare sent in Mingyu’s direction, you were finally able to leave around 12am.

During the drive home, all of the adrenaline from the shift seemed to fade away and leave you as an exhausted husk of a person. Your eyes threatened to drift shut even as you drove, forcing you to roll down your windows to scream sing out whatever song was playing from your phone in an attempt to keep awake. You just wanted this day to be over so you could enjoy your day off tomorrow and catch up on your school work, and so you didn’t have to see Kim Mingyu’s infuriating face.

He probably got away with so much shit just because he was tall and handsome, beautiful features seemed to get so many doors opened for people. Meanwhile, average people like yourself seemed to be overlooked and ignored, having to work twice as hard for something handed to those types of people on silver platters. It was probably the only reason Mingyu still had a job, considering your boss fancied him. It was pathetic how much she fawned over him, and he seemed to just soak up all the praise and attention. Your grip on the steering wheel tightened, knuckles going white as you thought about the situation.

The tension sat with you until you unlocked the door to your apartment and smelt the wonderful aroma that told you that your roommate had waited up for you. Slipping your shoes off and placing your keys on their hanger, you made your way into the small kitchen.

“Nunu!” You exclaimed as your eyes landed on the male. His thick brown hair was sticking up in all different directions, which told you he had gotten a good nap in before you came home but that he had woken up to make dinner. He pushed up his thick rimmed glasses as he glanced over at you, a small tired smile on his face.

“Welcome home.” he muttered before returning his gaze back to the food he had just plated, picking them up and dropping them off at the table before looking back over at you. “Go change and come eat.”

You gave him a mock salute before doing as instructed. Swapping your work pants and polo shirt for some sleep shorts and a tank top, it had a tendency to get rather hot in your apartment at night even if you had the AC on. When you returned to the kitchen, Wonwoo seemed a bit more awake than before and was scrolling through some website on his phone as he ate. You quickly joined, scarfing down your food.

“How was work?”

With that single question, your expression dropped mid bite. All the irritation flooding back into your system causing you to aggressively stab the next bit of food that you were wanting to eat before beginning your rant.

“So you know that dick bag at work?”

“The really tall hot one?”

“Yeah, that jackass.” You went into extreme detail about the night, fury filling your voice as you spoke.

“Can you believe him!?” You exclaimed, shoveling the last bit off your dinner into your mouth as you heard Wonwoo sigh. He always told you that you needed to quit if this guy was as bad as you said he was and none of the higher ups would do anything about it.

“Sorry Nunu, Didn’t mean to yell...Fuck, how was your day dude?” You stood, taking your plate over to the sink and setting it down. You’d get to those tomorrow, you were too tired to do them tonight.

“Eh, not much different than normal.” He muttered, joining you at the sink. There was a brief pause before he turned to you. “My...my boyfriend is going to come visit tomorrow. He said he wants to meet you, and I mean you’re my best friend so…”

“Oh! Really? Ah, I’ll make dinner tomorrow night then so that you guys can hang out beforehand!” Wonwoo seemed to be appreciative of it as he wrapped his arms around your waist to pull you into a tight hug. The affection caused your heart to soar, wrapping your arms around his neck as he rested his head on your shoulder “I’ll even clean up around the apartment while you’re at work.”

You felt your breath hitch in your throat as his hands lowered to firmly grip your ass. So that was how tonight was going to be. You knew that he had told his (currently unnamed) boyfriend about your little...sexcapades, and apparently the guy didn’t mind. It wasn’t like you and Wonwoo had legit feelings for each other...or at least, Wonwoo didn’t have feelings for you. Your feelings were still up in the air, but you would never tell him that.

“You sure your man is still okay with us doing...this?” You questioned, one hand slipped into his soft brown tresses as you whispered into his ear. Gently nibbling on the lobe of his ear. His response was simply to hike one of your legs up around his waist, bucking his hips forward into your heat. The action caused a soft moan to slip out of your lips, after the stress of today you wouldn’t mind having a round of fun. But Wonwoo seemed to need a reminder of the rules.

“Nunu, baby. I need you to use your words.” You instructed, gently stroking his hair as he gave your thigh a firm squeeze. When the two of you first hooked up like this, you would have never expected any kind of submissive side to him and yet looks could be deceiving. He let out a soft groan at the pet name before listening to your instructions.

“He...he thinks it’s fine.” He muttered into the shell of your neck, nipping lightly as he spoke. “It’s why he wants to meet you.” If you were being honest, you were a little more than surprised at that. You figured that your roommates boyfriend would be less than excited to meet someone who has been fucking their significat other with no strings attached for...multiple years.

“Oh he does? Is he just as dirty as you?” As you spoke, your free hand slid down to his pants to the prominent bulge that was hidden underneath the thin grey sweatpants. You would probably never get over just how large Wonwoo was, it was almost ridiculous. “Does he like that you get fucked by me? Or do you tell him that you’re in charge?”

Your grip had Wonwoo groaning before biting into the flesh of your neck, causing you to let out a loud moan at the sensation. As he let go, you pulled yourself away letting both of your feet return to the floor before turning the tables. You pushed Wonwoo back against the counter top, cornering him. One of your legs rested between his own, and you lifted that leg to press against the growing problem in his pants.

“Answer me Wonwoo.”

“No, he knows you’re in charge.” He told, squirming to try and get a bit more friction to his aching cock. You always liked making him needy, it was such a stark contrast to his normal day to day attitude. So seeing him like this was intoxicating for you.

Since he answered you so honestly, you decided to give him a bit more. Slowly, you pushed his sweatpants down his legs, your fingers gently clawing at the skin of his thighs as you did so. Once those were out of the way, you were pleasantly surprised to find that he had decided to forgo his usual boxers this evening. Leaving his thick cock on display for you.

“Oh, Nunu were you planning this?” You knelt down on the kitchen floor, leaning forward to give a small teasing kiss to the tip of his massive dick. “Did you make dinner for me, just so I’d fuck you against the countertops, while we talk about your boyfriend?”

You couldn’t stop yourself from taking the tip in your mouth, gently sucking on the tender skin as your tongue lapped up the drips of pre-cum from him. Your eyes never leaving his face as you worked, watching as he threw his head back and groaned. His hands gripped the counter’s edge so harshly his knuckles seemed to be turning white.

“Y-yeah,” he breathed out, the sound of it all so sickeningly seductive. “I did. I wanted...fuck I wanted it so bad.” he groaned out, bucking his hips up in an attempt to get you to take more of him. You gripped his hip firmly, pushing them back against the counter and successfully thwarting his attempts. The confession had you clenching around nothing as you pulled away from his dick with a loud pop.

“Oh Nunu, baby Nunu. You know all you have to do is ask. I’m always willing to make time for my good little boy.” Only he wasn’t yours, he had a boyfriend. You were just someone he got fucked by on the side, or well...who fucked him on the side. Despite the melancholy that thought brought to you, you kept up your role and gave a teasing lick to his length. “Does he ever take control, or is my poor little Nunu always domming when he just wants to be dicked down?”

The question along with the actions from your tongue had the male letting out small whimpers, his eyes squeezed shut as you took him into your mouth once more. Once again his hips thrashed forward, only being stopped by your hands as you grip him tightly.

You had been told previously all about Wonwoo’s sexual relations with his boyfriend, another thing that this mysterious man seemed to have no issue with. Once Wonwoo even confessed this boyfriend of his found it ‘hot’ that Wonwoo would tell you, which made you question just who your best friend was dating and how open this relationship would continue being.

“He doesn’t. Fuck fuck, i want it. Just like yo-you...just like you give it to me.” One thing you loved about Wonwoo was that his  moans were never loud, but beathy and that was an entirely different type of sexy. As a reward for his honesty you continued your mistrations on his firm length, taking him further into your mouth and pumping what couldn’t fit with your hand.

“No, no fuck. I’ll..cum, I want inside.” His words slurred together and barely made sense as he spoke but you knew exactly what he wanted. So you pulled yourself off of his delicious dick, and despite that being what he asked for he still let out a soft yet insanely deep whine. Missing the contact despite knowing exactly what he wanted.

You quickly slipped your sleep shorts from your frame, letting them drop to the floor. Wonwoo’s eyes watched you hungrily, waiting for you to follow through with his request only for you to flash a devilish grin at him.

“Catch.” Was all the warning he got, but the two of you had played this game before and he knew exactly what to do. Your feet were soon off the ground and wrapped around his waist, the tip of his cock prodding your entrance as he held you up. With practiced ease he turned and let your ass rest on the cold clean countertops, causing your frame to shiver at the temperature difference.

You trust your hips forward, rubbing his length against your folds and letting out a groan as you did so. He curled into you, waiting for permission. Soft pleading words slipped from his lips as he begged to be let in. Being just as needy, you decided to give in.

“Nunu, I want you to fuck me good okay?” Your voice was light and playful as your nails sunk into the skin of his back, prompting another low breathy groan from the male. “I want your boyfriend to be able to tell how good you fucke me, can you do that for me, baby boy?” He nodded against your shoulder as you gave him the final go ahead.

It was almost painful how slowly he entered you, filling you up completely while taking the most grueling pace ever. You knew what this was, his own little way of teasing you back. Sure Wonwoo enjoyed subbing and he was a very obedient sub but he was still a switch and things like this were how he made sure you knew that despite the position he took in your ‘relationship’.

“Fuck shit.” You groaned, throwing your head back and clenching around him as he bottomed out inside you. Despite how many time the two of you had sex, it always felt like the first time. You always felt impossibly full, and add him moaning in your ear into the mix and you swore you could come undone just from that. He started at an agonizingly slow pace, making sure to pull himself almost completely out of your before slamming back in. The feeling rocking you to your very core, gripping his shoulders tightly.

“God Nunu, you feel so fucking good.” You moaned out, “You fill me up so well baby, it’s like your dick was made for me.” Hearing your words seemed to spur him into a faster pace. His hands gripping your hips tightly as he slammed into you, there would surely be bruises there come tomorrow. You were once again finding another reason to be grateful that you were off work tomorrow.

“Fuck, your so tight.” He groaned, the husky low tones doing wonders to you. “Won’t last.” Was all he could bring out as his thrust grew more messy, less coordinated as he struggled to reach his high. One of his hands left your hips and found its way to your clit, gently massaging the small bundle of nerves as he continued his deep thrusts. It seemed like that was all you needed to be thrown off the edge

“Ah, fuck fuck, cum for me Wonwoo.”

And cum he did. You felt so full with just him, not bothering to worry about any kind of protection since you were on the pill. Your heart pounding a mile a minute as you leaned forward, resting your head on his shoulders. Three little words lingers on your lips, but you couldn’t bring yourself to say them. They weren’t your words to say...he wasn’t yours and he never would be.

***

Needless to say you were walking with a small limp the next day as you cleaned up around the house. Making sure to sanitize the kitchen countertops after your little...encounter there last night. Loud music blared through the apartment, you singing loudly along to the shitty songs about unrequited love. It was pathetic but at least it was a way to get the emotions out.

You had a few more hours before Wonwoo would be off work, and he boyfriend probably wouldn’t come over until after that so you weren’t all too concerned with your appearance at the moment, you’d probably wear something presentable and chit chat with the two for a bit before escaping to Joshua’s house. He knew about your stupid feelings and was willing to let you make an escape whenever you needed, he was a damn good friend.

To your surprise, a knock sounded through the apartment causing you to jump in shock. Grabbing your phone, you paused your music before returning the item to the kitchen table where it had been sitting. Grabbing the metal bat from beside the door, the two of you kept it there just in case of an intruder) you gripped the handle of the item before slowly pulling the door open. The sight that greeted you caused a rage to pool inside of your gut.

“Kim Mingyu, what the fuck are you doing at my apartment?” You seethed, glaring up at the male. A part of you was debating on just slamming the door back into his face, that would be pretty damn satisfying. Despite your irritation, he looked just as surprised as you felt.

“I’m here to visit my boyfriend and his roommate. But if you’re here, I must have the wrong place.” His words seemed to push everything into place and you were going to be sick. With how much Wonwoo had spoken about his boyfriend, he never mentioned the guy’s name...and the same went for you, you complained about your coworker on an almost daily basis but never mentioned that it was Kim Mingyu.

“Wonwoo? You’re here to see Wonwoo?” The words left your lips shakily, and you felt a rock sink into your gut. You prayed to whatever God was listening that he would deny it, say some other name, that he literally did get the wrong address and Wonwoo’s boyfriend wasn’t going to be your arch nemesis.

He nodded, he fucking nodded and it felt like everything was crashing around you. Not only was Kim Mingyu a hassle at work, but now you were finding out that he was dating the guy you were in love with. It was all too much.

“Well, you’re early. He doesn’t get off work until 6.” You muttered, opening the door to let him in despite the urge to leave him stranded outside until Wonwoo got home. You heard the door shut behind you, but couldn’t bring yourself to look back at him. Thinking about all the things Wonwoo had told you about the mysterious boyfriend, it was too much. Mingyu knew far too much about you now. Fuck now you would have to quit, there is no way he would keep that information secret now that he knew it was you fucking his boyfriend.

“Oh, I know. He said his roommate was going to make dinner, so I wanted to come over to help.” You flashed him a disgruntled look as he explained his reasoning for coming over so early. A sharp comment on the tip of your tongue as he slipped his shoes off and entered your abode as if it were his own. “Though, if I had known you were his roommate I probably would have stayed home.”

There it was, that smug smirk that you wanted to punch off of his face. A fire grew in your stomach and you stormed into the kitchen, determined to start and finish dinner as soon as possible. You weren’t going to stay here tonight, hoping Joshua wouldn’t mind you coming over earlier than expected.

“Well, lucky for you. I don’t need help, so you can just stand around and do nothing. You’re already pretty good at that.” Hearing the sound of his footsteps behind as you entered the kitchen, the small chuckle coming after it. Almost like he was mocking you, like he knew about your hidden feelings for Wonwoo, like he knew this was possibly the worst outcome for your evening. At this point, you just wanted to know why he seemed to enjoy pushing your buttons.

You swung open the door to the fridge and bent down to begin pulling out the items you would need to start the meal. You could feel his eyes on you as you traveling around the kitchen, pulling out bowls and spices, and it was infuriating.

“You know, you’re pretty hot when you’re angry,” His words caused you to practically choke on your own breath. “I wonder if that’s what gets Wonwoo off when you two fuck.” It was almost like he punched you in the gut. Of course, you knew that he knew but you definitely weren’t expecting him to just outright bring it up. Though you should have expected something as blunt as that from Kim Fucking Mingyu.

You placed the box of salt on the counter before turning to glare at Mingyu once more, only to find him almost directly behind you...much closer than he had been. Your mind flashed back to the night before, where you fucked Wonwoo in this very room, and now you were standing here talking to his boyfriend. You took a deep breath, swallowing your hesitation before continuing with your thought.

“Look, Wonwoo said you were cool with it. If it’s a problem then it stops, simple as that. I may hate your fucking guts but I’m not gonna keep fucking your boyfriend better than you do without your okay.”

That was...definitely the wrong thing to say but your anger got the better of you, your jealousy. It was a monster that was now fueling the previous wrath you had felt for the male. Before you could think about anything else to say, you felt yourself being forced back against the counter with his hands laying flat on either side of you, caging you in as he stared down with a dark look in his eye.

“See, I don’t think you do. I think you’re just a cocky, high strung, know-it-all who thinks she’s better than everyone else.” He muttered, his voice lowering into a range you had never heard before from the male. It sent a heat straight to your core, a heat you usually only felt around Wonwoo, this seemed to only fuel your anger. You quickly pushed your hands to his, rather firm, chest and shoved him backwards, hard enough to get him away from you but not hard enough to accidentally hurt him.

“And I think you’re a lazy jackass who hasn’t had to work a day in his life just because his perfect good looks have gotten him everything he could ever want.” You retorted, voice coming out almost as a growl. If a look could kill someone then Mingyu would have instantly caught fire from the heat of your gaze. Despite your anger, he still carried that smug grin on his face.

“Awe, you think I’m pretty? I mean, you’re right but it’s always nice to hear.”

“Fuck, you’re insuferable! Just shut up and leave me alone, so I can finish making this fucking dinner and then leave.” With that you turned back to the counter, furiously beginning your task as you tried to ignore the man who was currently plaguing your day.

“Make me.” Those two little words, you weren’t sure why but those two simple words seemed to throw your entire world into disarray. It was like a switch was flipped and you couldn’t stop the urge growing inside you, the urge to break him. You wanted him practically crying and begging for you, but...you couldn’t do that. Despite how much you hated him, this was still Wonwoo’s boyfriend and while he was okay with Wonwoo fooling around with you...you weren’t sure how Wonwoo would feel if you decided to humiliate his boyfriend. You gripped the bowl in front of you, trying your best to take a deep breath and stop yourself from doing the terrible things you were thinking of.

“Didn’t you hear me? I said make me. I thought that was like a trigger phrase for dom’s?” So he knew what he was doing, he knew it and was still being an ass. The switch broke, and all you could see was red. You turned back to face him, glowering up at him and your face flushed with an angry heat.

“What the hell are you trying to pull Kim Mingyu?” Your accusatory tone was harsh, even harsher than the tones you used at work. In fact, the only time you had really spoken like this to anyone was the one time Wonwoo had attempted to be a brat. You watched as a small shiver went up his spine, his eyes never leaving yours. His shit eating grin seemed to only grow as you took harsh steps towards him, causing him to back up until he was stopped by a wall. His back pressed firmly against it, but you refused to lift your arms and cage him in.

“Well, what if I told you I didn’t come over to help with dinner prep.”

“Color me surprised.” He ignored your sarcasm and continued.

“What if I said that Wonwoo wanted me to come here early, cause he wanted me to see how good he got it with you?” It almost seemed like he was determined to give you a heart attack today, there was no way Wonwoo would have said something like that. Right? As if he could sense the hesitation to believe his words, reached up and gently cupped your cheek with his.

“Or maybe, you’d rather I take control today?” Once again it seemed like he knew exactly how to push your buttons to rekindle the rage in your gut all over again. You reached up and gripped his wrist, yanking his hand away from you. Your earlier fervor returning, as you tightly clenched his wrist. The grip tight enough to show him just who was in charge here, but not tight enough to actually hurt him.

“Bad boys don’t get to be in control.”

“Bad Boy? Is that what we’re going with?”

“It’s better than me calling you a jackass. Which is the name i’d prefer to call you.”

Everything felt like a blur, soon you were pulling him towards you by his collar and slamming your lips onto his own. It was nothing like your kisses with Wonwoo which were full of passion, you filled this with as much anger as you could. You wanted him to feel your anger, your pain, you deserved that much if all you were going to be is a cock sleeve. A dom to get tossed back and forth between the couple. You weren’t sure if that was what Wonwoo was intending but, a part of you felt worthless in any aspect except sex so you might as well use what you’ve got.

Not bothering to break the heated kiss, full of teeth and tongue, you navigated Mingyu into the living room. Only then did you pull away, nipping at his bottom lip with your teeth as you did. He quickly went to bring his lips back to your own, but you decided to not let him get that pleasure and shoved him back onto the couch, his shirt riding up ever so slightly as he fell back onto the sofa that was much too small for him, let alone two people.

“We have rules here Mingyu, I know you have trouble following them at work but try not to be too much of a whore and break my rules. Got it?” He rolled his eyes as you began explaining, as if he were already planning on disobeying your very simple rules. “First is, we go by the color system. Got it?” He nodded. “The second is, you don’t cum until I tell you to.”

You might hate the male below you, but you weren’t going to do things he wasn’t comfortable with. You weren’t a terrible person, just an angry one. Despite these gratuitous warnings, Mingyu still seemed irritatingly smug.

“Wow, pretty weak rules. I doubt you could make me cum even if you tried.”

You were going to make him eat those words.

Which was probably why he was currently a groaning mess on your couch, hands bound behind his back and his jeans long discarded. In your hand was a small vibrator that you were just lightly pressing against his hard cock. He wasn’t as large as Wonwoo, width wise and was a bit shorter than him but it was still pretty impressive. You would never tell him that though.

He looked a mess, almost as if he was just about to hit his high. So you removed the toy, and listened to those beautiful whines escape his lips. He was in for a long ride if he thought this was the worst you were going to do to him.

“Awe, is the little whore upset I took his toy away?” Your tone mocking as you turned off the vibrator, waiting for his response to see just what you would do next. He seemed to be expecting something like this and grinned despite his heavy breathing.

“You’re little games aren’t doing shit. I think you’re just too scared to fuck me yourself.” Without hesitation you returned the vibrator to his dick, turning it onto its highest setting just so you could watch him squirm. He let out a loud gasp, throwing his head back against the couch cushions, his back arching off of the couch as he let out a sinful moan. Then it was over, you were once again pulling the toy away from him once again, giving a teasing lick to the silicone as he glared at you through hooded eyes. His breath coming out in small pants as he lost that high once more.

With a smug smirk of your own, you leaned forward your lips stopping right next to his ear. One of your hands reached down to slowly stroke his twitching member, you could practically feel how close he was.

“Oh I’m not scared, I just don’t want your trash dick inside me.” Much to your surprise you felt him tremble beneath you. So he liked being talked down to? That was good to know, you would definitely be using that to your advantage. It was a stark contrast from Wonwoo who lived for praise, you honestly thought Mingyu would be the same way.

“What makes you think I’d want your dick when I can fuck your boyfriend whenever I want? His massive cock fills me up so well, almost like he was made for me.” Your words were but a sinful whisper in his ear. Your teeth gently nipping at the lobe of his ear, pulling slightly as you spoke. The words plus your hand against his dick brought out another groan, almost like you had struck a match inside him. Before you could stop him, he pushed himself forward and sunk his teeth into the crook of your neck and you were almost certain that it was almost harsh enough to break the skin. A surprised yelp left your lips, mixing into a long moan at the feeling. Without even thinking about it, your grip on his dick tightened which seemed to be the exact reaction he was hoping for. The feeling pulling him over the edge as he released into your hand with a low guttural moan.

You pulled yourself away, staring at your jizz covered hand in feigned disgust.

“One simple rule, and you couldn’t even follow it. Wonwoo was right when he said you were fucking filthy.” You chastised, wiping your hand off on his naked thigh not giving him the pleasure of seeing you lick it off of your own skin. He hadn’t earned that.

“What’re you gonna do about it? Punish me?” The words left his lips just as your hand moved to wrap around his neck, squeezing the side lightly as to give him the choking sensation without actually putting him in potential danger.

“Whore, what’s your color?”

“Fuck, fuck green. So green, fuck.” Taking that response, you quickly tighten your grip which was followed by another strangled groan. You weren’t about to admit it, but he looked really hot like this. Underneath you, completely spent while still seeming to be gearing up for another round.

“Well then you better get comfortable, brat. Because you’ve really pissed me off now.” With every word your grip tightened just a bit more before you pulled away, ending the sentence. You turned your back to him for a moment, shoving off everything that had previously been on your coffee table before taking a seat on top of it, right in perfect view of Mingyu.

“If you even want me to think about putting your filthy dick inside of me, then you better not move. Got that?” You didn’t wait for his response as you pulled your shirt over your head, and quickly unclipped your bra, tossing both of the garments to the other side of the living room to be forgotten about. Without hesitation you began fondling your chest, tweaking your rapidly hardening nipples. Your eyes never left Mingyu, making sure he was paying attention and keeping still. A quick glance down at his lap and you could see his cock slowly starting to harden once more at the sight before him. His tongue slipped out of his mouth to lick his lips, eyes not leaving your chest as you fondled yourself.

While one hand continued to fondle your breasts, your other slid down to tease the waste of your shorts.

“Tell me what you want you little whore, maybe I’ll give it to you if you ask nicely enough.” In truth, you had no intention of giving him anything just yet but dangling his wants in front of his face would be so sweet a punishment. One he deserved for breaking your rules.

“Let me fuck you, I know you want it too. I’ve seen how you keep watching my cock, almost drooling aren’t you baby girl.” Instantly at his words, you stopped touching yourself and stood from the table. Without a word you made your way out of the living room and down the hallway, ignoring as he called out to you. To your surprise though, he was still in the same spot on the couch when you returned with what you had got to grab. A soft silk tie, black in color and well used.

You grabbed the previously discarded vibrator and returned it to its former position pressed against his cock and used the tie to keep it held there without the need for your hands before you turned it onto the lowest setting possible. Still sweet but enough to drive him crazy. Then you proceeded to push him back down into a lying position before stripping yourself of your shorts and underwear, tossing them into the ever growing pile of clothing.

“If you’re going to keep talking back, I might as well put your disgusting mouth to good use.” You said, swinging your leg over him so that you were now straddling his face. Your dripping pussy resting just above his face. “Get to work, bitch.”

He groaned out, loving the treatment you were giving him before he latched his lips to your wet sex, tongue lapping up whatever liquid he could as if this were his last meal. It was honestly really fucking sexy. You couldn’t stop yourself from letting out a soft breathy moan, which only seemed to encourage the male below you.

As another mewl left your lips you heard the sound of the front door being opened, and the distinct voice of Wonwoo calling out that he was home. Your heart almost stopped, you weren’t sure if you were excited for Wonwoo to discover the two of you or terrified. Mingyu didn’t seem bothered by it, not even really acknowledging his boyfriend’s voice as he continued to devour your pussy. His tongue gave a particularly pleasing swipe just as Wonwoo entered the living room.

Your eyes met his brown ones and you could practically see the gears turning in his head as he saw the compromising position the two of you were in. For a moment, you were concerned that Mingyu had lied and that Wonwoo would be upset. The relief that filled your body as he quickly closed the distance, leaning over the couch and pulling you into a deep kiss. If it was possible the kiss was almost better than the attacks to your lower region, if only because it was from Wonwoo. When he pulled away he let his forehead press against your own.

“I see you guys couldn’t be bothered to wait for me…” He didn’t sound upset at all though, almost as if he were hoping to catch the two of you in the act. You reached up and took a handful of his beautiful brown tresses into your grip, pulling ever so slightly as you ground your pelvis against Mingyu’s face.

“This little whore needed to be taught a lesson, Nunu. You’re boyfriend’s such a disgusting boy, so selfish.” Your words could barely come out as you felt your high coming closer and closer. Mingyu was in fact, pretty damn good with his mouth. You weren’t about to come undone yet though, so you released Wonwoo from your grip and pushed Mingyu’s head away from you. The action was met with a pitiful whine from the infuriating male.

“Oh shut up, you don’t deserve to make me cum. You’ve been nothing but a whiney, needy bitch. Like a dog in heat.” You watched him tremble as your words went straight to his dick, the vibrations from the toy doing just enough to keep him needy but not enough to get him too close to cumming again.

“You like that, being a little dog? Fucking sick, this little dog just wants a hole to fuck.” You reached down and gripped his cheeks in your hand, pushing your face just close enough for you to bite his lip before pulling away.

Your attention turned fully to Wonwoo, a small grin on his face.

“Nunu, can you show this dirty dog how to be a good boy?” A request the male was all too quick to comply with. At your instructions he stripped down under the watchful eyes of both yourself and Mingyu.

“Now i want you to sit on the table, right here. Don’t touch yourself until I get back.” You ordered, and Wonwoo nodded. As obedient as always. You glanced back at Mingyu, arms still tied behind his back, dick looking almost painfully hard and your slick covering his lips. Letting out a small chuckle before leaving the living room once more only this time on much shakier legs.

As you dug through your toybox you could hear the distinct voice of Mingyu.

“Come one Wonwoo, you should touch yourself. Don’t you wanna make her mad?” He was trying to sound in control but you could tell the over stimulation was getting to him. His words were pitchy, and he seemed to be trying to catch his breath as he egged on his boyfriend. Oh he was going to regret that.

“Not really,” Was Wonwoo’s reply. “She’ll keep you on edge for hours if you keep this up, Gyu.” The male scoffed, only his scoff came out more as a moan than anything else. You couldn’t see what he was doing but you could hear the distinct sound of the creaking couch to give away that he was in fact moving despite your instructions. Another strike.

“S-She...she’s not so tough.” Left his lips as you returned to the room, strap on in one hand and a bottle of lube in the other. You could see Wonwoo’s eyes light up as he recognized the item, which just so happened to be his favorite of the strap ons that you owned. Keeping yourself behind the couch so that you obscured Mingyu’s vision of you until you had the extension snuggly strapped onto yourself.

Being the good boy he was, Wonwoo scooted himself to the edge of the table and leaned back on his hands as he waited for you. You stopped just in front of him, squeezing a nice amount of lube into your open palm and began coating the strap on, stroking the silicone toy as Wonwoo and Mingyu hungrily watched.

“Color?”

You question was followed by both men giving green, giving you the go ahead to continue. Kneeling forward, you pushed Wonwoo’s legs apart and he was more than willing to let you. His hand stayed pressed firmly against the hardwood of the coffee table, his fingers twitching slightly as he did his best to not touch himself or you until he got the go ahead. The order never came though, this was about putting on a show for Mingyu and that’s exactly what you were going to do.

You slowly prodded a lube covered finger at his ass, teasing the hole a bit before entering to begin preparing him for the much larger dildo. Once again the apartment was filled with your favorite sounds, his low breathy moans. Only this time they were accompanied by the almost whining coming from Mingyu as he lay helpless on the couch.

“See Mingyu? This is what good little boys get. Isn’t that right Nunu?” Your question was followed by a few soft teasing nips at his thigh, and another finger entering his tight hole. His moans were breathtaking to listen to, it filled you with confidence that you couldn’t describe. Your own core was practically throbbing, you had no idea you would enjoy being watched like this.

Your other hand reached up, taking Wonwoo’s massive cock and slowly pumping it just as you had done to Mingyu’s before this. The whimpers that left his lips as Mingyu squirming from his spot on the couch, desperate to be touched by something more than the vibrator that was still lightly buzzing. After a few more pumps of your hand, you removed the fingers and positioned yourself in front of the entrance.

“God, yes please please fuck me.” Wonwoo was practically begging at this point.

“Anything for my good boy.” Slowly, you pushed your hips forward to sink the thick black silicone dick inside of Wonwoo’s ass. You took a second to let him get adjusted, and to just watch him whimper below you, his back arching and his eyes screwed shut as he begged for you to move.  Which you gladly complied with.

“You’re always so good for me Nunu, my perfect boy.” You praised as you thrust into his ass, taking quick thrust just the way he liked it. Pulling out almost completely before harshly snapping your hips forward, making sure to stroke his cock in time with your trusts. The actions had him a mess below you and you could practically see Mingyu drooling as he watched the two of you.

“Mingyu, if you want this. Then I want you to rut against the couch. You better cum without me touching you or you won’t be getting anything else tonight.” It was almost instantaneous how quickly he moved, flipping over onto his stomach as he began needily humping at your couch, his eyes never leaving the scenario in front of him though as he used it to try and bring himself his much needed second release of the night.

The air felt hot and humid as the moans of the two males filled the apartment, and fuck it was hot. You weren’t even being properly touched and you were still feeling close. The feeling only growing as Wonwoo shivered below you.

“Please, please miss. F-fuck, pleae let me cum.” He whimpered, his eyes glancing over at Mingyu. Watching his boyfriend rutting against the couch like a dog in heat. For a moment you were brought out of the mood, remembering that you were just a third you had no part of the actual relationship that the two men had. Shaking your head, you quickly pulled yourself back, that was a problem for future you. Right now your only concern was making sure these men were properly fucked out.

“Go ahead, cum for me baby. Cum while your boyfriend watches me fuck you.” That was all he needed, you felt his dick twitch in your hand before thick strings of white cum left him. You continued your mistrations making sure to milk his orgasm for all it was worth. Your eyes drifted over to Mingyu, who seemed to be having a bit of trouble getting to that high once again and he looked down right pitiful.

After Wonwo had successfully come back to you, you pulled yourself from him as you decided to give Mingyu a little help. Sure you still hated him, but it would be cruel to not finish him off now.

“Stop and sit up.” You ordered, and surprisingly the male responded just as Wonwoo had, with obedience. You unlaced the tie and pulled the unsatisfying vibrator away from his cock, listening to more loud whiny moans leave his lips.

“Don’t expect me to be this nice again, you filthy dog. I have standards.” You muttered, before lowering your lips to his throbbing dick. You could hear Wonwoo’s breathy moans from behind you as he watched you suck off his boyfriend. Hollowing your cheeks and teasing his tip with your tongue seemed to be just enough to push Mingyu over the edge and you felt his thick hot release enter your mouth. Not wanting to make a mess, you just swallowed the salty liquid before pulling away and wiping your lips. His loud moans causing your core to ache in need. Which was another thing you would never admit out loud, his moans were just as delicious as Wonwoo’s.

“See? Was being good so hard?” You questioned, pulling your mouth off of his softening member. Sure you were left still needy but you could take care of that in the shower, your job here was done. They got what they wanted out of you and you’d see yourself out.

You went to stand once more, muttering something about going to take a shower and clean up when you felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around you from behind. Wonwoo carefully began unstrapping the accessory from your pelvis, letting it fall to the floor between you and Mingyu with a soft thud. Followed by his lips pressing small kisses against your neck.

“Gyu, think you can finish her off?” He questioned the fucked out male on the couch in between his feather light kisses. You heard a soft groan escape Mingyu’s lips, almost as if it were a hassle but he reached out and grabbed your thighs to pull you closer to him.

“Nunu, it’s fine.” You tried to protest, but the words stopped dead in your throat as Mingyu’s tongue began to work you once again. A small curse leaving your lips as your hand found its way into Mingyu’s hair, causing him to chuckle slightly before his lips latched against your clit, his tongue working furiously to tease the nub.

“You really think we’re just going to let you leave after that?” Wonwoo questioned, his tone reminding you of the times he would switch. Taking control of your little scenarios and it had you letting out another embarrassingly loud groan. “You’re not leaving here until you cum.”

And cum you did.

A few hours later, after some showers, the three of you were gathered around the kitchen table with a small slew of pizza boxes since none of you had the actual energy to make dinner. It wasn’t awkward per se, but you certainly felt awkward. The two were casually chatting with each other as if what transpired in the living room hadn’t happened. You picked at the pepperoni on the slice in front of you. Sure you were hungry but couldn’t bring yourself to really eat more than a few bites.

“Hey, make sure to eat. You probably wore yourself out back there,” Mingyu mentioned, causing you to finally look up from your pizza and connect eyes with him. “You’re gonna need the food so you get back that energy.”

Your eyes flickered over to Wonwoo before returning to Mingyu. “I am eating.” You lied, lifting the slice to show him the small bites you had taken. “I don’t need you babying me.”

The sound of Wonwoo muttering your name had your attention on him once again, “You don’t have to be the hard one all the time.” Just like normal, he seemed to see right through you. A sigh escaped your lips as you reluctantly took another bite of the food. After you thoroughly chewed and swallowed the bite you spoke once more.

“I’ll be heading over to Josh’s tonight,” This had both men turning their gaze to you once more. The anxiety from before filled your gut once more, maybe you would even ask Josh if he was needing another roommate. “Give you guys some alone time, ya know?”

“What if...we said we wanted you to stay?” You were caught off guard by Mingyu’s declaration, fixing your nemesis with a harsh questioning gaze. He seemed to find the look amusing, once again returning to your game of cat and mouse. “Is that so bad? It’s not like you’re completely terrible company.”

“I’m not fucking you again.”

Your words had both men letting out their own unique laughs, the sound surprisingly made your heart flutter. Wonwoo’s was to be expected, but Mingyu’s that was new territory. Wonwoo took Mingyu’s hand, gently caressing the top of it with his thumb. You found your gaze lingering on the intimate action, a longing filling your chest and making you sick to your stomach. You didn’t want to just be a third that was kept around for fun times, but how were you supposed to tell them that when all your words seemed to die in your throat.

“We’re not asking for that. We...talked while you were in the shower, we’d like to give this,” Wonwoo gestured to the three of you. “A try.”

“You are aware that I absolutely hate your boyfriend though.” Which wasn’t a total lie, he was still infuriating but now that you were watching him with Wonwoo. You were seeing a side of him that you had originally not believed to exist, a side that wasn’t a complete ass.

“He’s aware, I told him all about our ‘loving’ work relationship.” Mingyu snorted as he spoke, rolling his eyes as he probably imagined how just yesterday had been for the two of you. “And we still want to give it a shot. He and I love each other, but he...also loves you.”

The confession has your heart stopping dead in your chest, eyes quickly moving back over to watch Wonwoo’s face heat up in a pink flush at Mingyu confessing for him.

“It’s the main reason I was cool with the two of you fooling around. I knew I had part of his heart, but so did you. It’s also why I wanted to meet you. It’d be easier on all of us if you and I also shared something, yeah?”

“You’re kidding right? This is all just some massive joke isn’t it? It’s not funny, guys.”  You felt your hands tremble lightly, scared that they would admit to their offer being false. That you’d be left alone and hurt at such a cruel prank. To your surprise though, Wonwoo reached across the table and took your hand in his own. Caressing the skin as he had done with Mingyu’s only moments ago.

“It’s no joke. I love you, and I hope you love me too...and can maybe even come to love Mingyu too.”

For the first time in a long time, your heart was soaring in your chest.

***

“Mingyu, I love you I really fucking do, but that doesn’t mean I’m cool with you making me wait your tables.” You complained, shoving your boyfriend from behind as the two of you entered your apartment after returning from another ridiculously long shift at your mutual job. Mingyu laughed as he slipped out of his shoes so he could make his way into the apartment proper.

“But you still let me do it, just admit it. You’re whipped for me now~”

“Oh, in your dreams, Puppy.” You could tell the nickname hit Mingyu just the right way, by now you knew all the right buttons to press to tease him without even having to touch him. Slipping off your own shoes you followed him into the living room flopping down on the couch as he turned the AC on, muttering something about how hot the stupid apartment was.

Closing your eyes, your rested your head against the back of the couch in an attempt to relax despite still being in your work clothing. It was only for a moment though, as Mingyu moved to straddle your waist.

“Down boy, tonight’s Wonwoo’s night. I don’t have the energy to deal with your ridiculous sex drive right now.” You muttered, but didn’t bother trying to push him off as he leaned forwards to nip at your neck just the way you liked it.  He pouted against the flesh but did as he was told, stopping his ‘assault’ but not bothering to move off of you.

That was how Wonwoo found the two of you when he returned home from work, the both of you fast asleep on the couch without a care in the world. He watched his partners with a soft look in his eye, heart filled with love.

It wasn’t the perfect relationship but it was one he wouldn’t trade for the world.

[thewayshedreamed]

This Time— Part 6

A Nessian Fan Fic

Fic Masterlist

This chapter offers some additional insight into Nesta’s thought process and sheds a little light on the ongoing process her emotional development has become. I hope it comes through!

This is somewhat of a “building” chapter so that we can get Nessian to the crest, so to speak. Part 7 is already written and only needs some editing, so it’s possible that I’ll be doing a double update today ☺️ They certainly have a lot to discuss, and once I started writing, I couldn’t stop. 😂 Anyway, enough of me. Enjoy!

Links to the previous parts:

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4 || Part 5 ||

Warnings for grief related to the loss of a parent and some strong language.

——————————————————————————

Around 11:00 PM, Nesta decided she couldn’t be alone with her thoughts anymore. She was ruminating on similar memories and effectively raking herself over the coals. Although she knew any one of her friends would be there for her no matter the time of day, she picked up her phone to call the one she knew would most likely be awake at this hour.

“Hello?” Azriel’s raspy voice came through the phone.

“Were you asleep?! Since when do you go to bed early?” Her surprise was obvious by her tone. What the hell? He’s never in bed before midnight.

“Nes. Always a pleasure.” Azriel breathed a chuckle into the phone. “I usually wouldn’t be. I’m.. umm.. at a friend’s house tonight.”

Nesta gasped and dropped her voice. “Oh my gods. Az, were you on a date?! Am I interrupting?” She clapped her free hand over her forehead. “I’m the worst. I’m sorry.”

Another chuckle from Azriel. “You don’t have to whisper, you know. She can’t hear you. You’re not interrupting anything. I was asleep when you called, but I’m out on the couch now. What’s up?”

”If you were asleep, then that counts as interrupting! Are you sure?”

”Yes. Just, maybe the short version?” His tone was tentative, almost as if he felt guilty asking her to keep it concise at 11 PM. No one truly deserved Azriel as their friend.

“I can do that. So, here it is. I’ll save you the long, tedious trip through my brain.” She paused for half a second to take a breath. “I’m in love with Cassian.” She let out a quiet groan for effect.

”Mhmm...” The lilting of his voice implied that he was waiting for something like the punchline of a joke; the unknown part of her statement.

Her breath caught. “I kind of expected more of a reaction.”

”Did you? I thought there was more to it.” He seemed entirely neutral in that grating way of his.

”How did you know?!” She asked, incredulously.

”You told me.”

“Mm.. I don’t think so. When?” Now she was actually confused. Did she make some kind of drunken confession at Rita’s? She would remember having this revelation before now.

“At brunch. When we were driving home.”

”What are you talking about?!” Her voice was definitely higher pitched than it had been previously. She was anxious to hear his response, thinking he had surely dreamed this.

”Nesta. We were in my car, backing out of the parking lot. You asked me, ‘Why couldn’t we be the ones to fall in love?’ Or something along those lines. I thought that you were using some cryptic way of telling me because it implied two parties. Why do you think I hit the brakes so hard?” He seemed impatient, as if he was telling her the most obvious thing in the world.

“I thought maybe the question weirded you out! I didn’t even realize what I said, to be honest. How the actual fuck do you notice tiny things like that?” She didn’t wait on his response. He would know it was rhetorical. “Now my problem is this: I think he’s dating someone, so I’ve lost my chance.” She briefly told him what she had overheard the night of Elain’s birthday, her voice starting to crack toward the end.

”Hm. He hasn’t said anything to me about that, but I could see why he would wait being that you and I are close. But honestly, I don’t know that you could ever lose your chance with Cassian, Nes.”

She didn’t have anything to say to that. She simply sat there, playing with the corner of her throw blanket and hoping he would continue. He seemed to sense her discomfort and started talking again.

“I think you’ll regret it if you don’t talk to him. But, if I can offer my opinion, maybe wait a little while so that you know you’re absolutely sure this is what you want. I don’t know how he would handle it if you decided it’s not what you want.”

She felt herself prickle with defensiveness. “I wouldn’t do that to him, Az. Of course I’m sure. It only took me an eternity to figure this shit out.”

Azriel responded in a soothing tone he so often used with her. “I know. But remember, you’re not the one he talks to about you. I’m just looking out for my brother. Maybe let it marinate, yeah?”

She knew his intentions were pure, and she couldn’t really blame him for being protective. Before she could respond, she heard a feminine voice in the background ask: “Az, everything okay?”

She heard him pull the phone away from his face to answer. “Oh, yeah. All good. It’s Nesta.”

Delayed by her scattered brain and the copious amount of wine, the identity of the voice finally hit her full force.

”IS THAT ELAIN?!” She sat up straighter as if it would allow her to hear them more readily.

She heard Azriel laugh, followed by a shuffling on the other end.

“Hello? Nesta? Everything okay?” Nesta could hear the genuine concern in her voice.

“Hey, El. Everything’s fine! Sorry to crash your date. It seems we have quite a bit to talk about. Very soon.”

It took Elain a couple of seconds to respond, and Nesta could hear the smile in her voice. “Yeah. I think we do. Someone told me I should just talk to him. Turns out that they were right.” She paused, waiting for an “I told you so” from Nesta. She didn’t have the energy. “You know you can talk to me about Cassian, too, right?”

Nesta shut her eyes tightly and shook her head. “Of course. I’m sorry. I’ve been leaning on Az since our fight, and I honestly haven’t had the energy to bring it up beyond that. But I do want to talk to you. And Feyre. It’s just been...hard.”

“I can imagine. It’s hard to remember a time before you and Cass. It’s like the end of an era or something. Just know that we’re here.” Her voice was soft, laced with worry and a desire to help her older sister.

”Maybe for now,” Nesta teased, “but you may not have much time to chat these days.”

She knew she was blatantly deflecting, but El’s words had caused tears to prick her eyes yet again. It’s hard to remember a time before you and Cass. She realized how true it was, and what upset her the most was that she knew she didn’t want to know a time without Cassian.

The call wrapped up with more gentle teasing between the sisters, and eventually, embarrassing Azriel a bit over speakerphone. She told them she loved them and promised to keep them updated on how she was feeling. Her heart felt lighter once she finally ended the call, thanks to the laughter they managed to pull from her.

——————————————————————————

Christine Archeron’s death anniversary fell on a Tuesday that year, and Nesta awoke with a similar irritation as last year— death anniversaries should never fall on weekdays. She went through the familiar motions as any other morning, headed to work, and concentrated on her various tasks she was expected to juggle at any given time. As appearances went, it looked like any other ordinary day to those around her, so the extra heaviness remained hers alone to carry.

On her lunch break, she got a chance to pull her phone to check her messages and mindlessly scroll through social media. She had been focused on scrolling for so long that her phone took her by surprise when it vibrated in her hand. She tapped the notification by reflex and found herself studying the sender’s name as if it was some sort of mistake.

Cassian: Thinking about you today. I know it’s a rough one. Keep your head up. Christine would have it no other way ❤️

Nesta read the text several times in a row; just to make sure it was real. It had been so long since he’d contacted her intentionally, and it made her happy that he still thought to reach out today. It simultaneously made her a little sad; however, because it was yet another reminder of what she’d lost in him. That was an issue to deal with later.

Nesta: Of course you are, because you’re the perfect human, and I don’t deserve you. Thanks, Cass 💕 Means the world to me to hear from you. Mom really loved you, and I know she would appreciate you looking out for us.

She hesitated over the send button for several seconds before deciding to go through with it. It felt so weird to intentionally script any type of message to him being that they had spent most of their relationship entirely uncensored. Everything about it felt wrong— she couldn’t act natural with him because it wasn’t appropriate anymore, yet she didn’t feel right having to draft and redraft their communication. It was all so fucked, and she was tired of this odd limbo they stayed in.

She reflected on her conversation with Azriel and Elain on the night she had unintentionally crashed their date. She knew that they both held strong points about her situation and wouldn’t advise her to try to repair things if they knew it was a lost cause. She acknowledged that Azriel, specifically, knew more than he was at liberty to tell her. That being the case, she decided that was evidence in favor of hashing things out with Cassian. It wasn’t long before she was lost in her own thoughts, her food entirely forgotten.

I’ve spent my entire life trying to ensure I didn’t need anyone. I never wanted to depend heavily on another person in a way that I couldn’t manage on my own. But that’s not really the case anyway, right? I’ve managed fine these few weeks, but that’s the thing. I’ve managed. Why do I try to insist that’s enough for me?

But what if the door is closed? What if this was Cassian’s final push, and he’s gone? I don’t know Alis, and she could be wonderful. She probably appreciates the shit out of him and saw immediately that he’s not the average person. She probably knows how special he is. She probably beams anytime he enters a room and tries to take care of his heart in any way she can. She’s probably fucking delightful.

But does that really compete with history? I guess if that history is filled with turmoil, it could. She’ll never know the Cassian that was a freshman in high school— braces and curly hair, still a head taller than most of the other boys in class. She won’t remember how he hit his second growth spurt the summer after sophomore year, where he started to fill out and caught the attention of any girl with a pulse. She doesn’t know what it’s like when he’s truly angry with his dad and the world. She doesn’t know the full range of his eclectic music tastes or the guilty pleasures he sings depending on his mood. She didn’t do the leg work to reconcile the tough, intimidating exterior when he gets upset with the gentle soul beneath. There’s no way she knows when his humor and his laughter are distractions from his pain rather than when they’re genuine. She can’t love him like I do. Im-fucking-possible.

She was pulled abruptly out of her head, and incredible jealousy, by her alarm. It was time to go back to work and finish out the day, and she hoped it passed as quickly as possible. She silently chastised herself for piling this emotional time bomb on today of all days as she threw away her lunch and walked out of the break room.

So much for leaving this issue for later.

She resolved to put all of these thoughts back into their little box until she had the emotional energy to open the lid once again. Whenever the hell that would be.

——————————————————————————

The rest of the day zoomed by at a blissful pace, thank the gods. In fact, when Nesta glanced at the clock, she realized it was several minutes after 5:00 PM. She clocked out, grabbed her things, and climbed into her car. She took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself to make the drive out to the cemetery. She wasn’t sure what time Elain had been able to go by, but Nesta had agreed to meet Feyre at 5:30 to pay their respects. It was becoming a standing tradition, where they would make their short visit whenever they could during the day and follow with dinner together as a family.

She made it with a few minutes to spare, so she took that time to sit with her mom one-on-one. She gave her a brief update on her life, told her how much she loved and missed her, and gently brushed any leaves or grass clippings off of her headstone. There were fresh flowers in her vase, something she noted each year on her death anniversary. Any other time of year, they kept seasonally appropriate faux flowers to make sure her site was properly decorated. She made a mental note to offer to contribute to the fresh arrangement in the years following when she saw her family at dinner. They were always taken care of before she made it out to the cemetery, and she didn’t want to risk forgetting for the next year. She leaned into the arrangement, taking in the various floral scents emanating from the blooms in the bouquet. There was a myriad of vivid colors, wildflowers throughout, and Nesta loved how true to her mother’s spirit they were.

She turned when she heard car doors and saw Feyre approaching with Rhysand. She stood, extending an arm out to her baby sister, who accepted it readily and rested her head on her shoulder. They wrapped their arms around each other, and Rhysand stood nearby, resting his hand on Feyre’s opposite shoulder. They stood together for several minutes until Nesta excused herself to allow Feyre some time alone with their mom as well.

She drove to her father’s house where she found Elain already setting the table for dinner. They worked together quietly, making sure they had plenty of place settings for everyone. Azriel offered his help to carry various dishes of food to the dining table and took his seat next to Elain once it was all settled. Almost as if on cue, Feyre and Rhysand walked into the house and took their seats as well. The dinner started off quiet considering the somber mood, but Feyre was the first to break the tension when she started to tell stories from their childhood. In a matter of moments, their home was filled with animated story telling and loud bouts of laughter, and Nesta couldn’t think of a better way to honor her mom’s love of life.

As everyone finished up, she suddenly remembered her mental note from earlier. She waited for a natural lull in conversation, then commented softly, “Mom’s flowers were beautiful, you guys. You did an amazing job.”

”They were really perfect. They couldn’t have been more ‘Christine’ if you tried,” Feyre remarked.

“Elain, Dad. I’m not sure which of you took care of them this year, but would you let me take care of next time? I haven’t contributed since she passed, and I’d really like to.”

Mr. Archeron softly shook his head back and forth, communicating to Nesta that it hadn’t been him. Nesta adjusted her gaze to Elain who looked just as confused.

“Oh. Nes, I assumed it was one of you. I didn’t... I didn’t order them. I wished I had.” She looked down at her hands, and Azriel placed a supportive arm across the back of her chair.

“Okay... so who did?” She glanced around the table from person to person, but no one took any credit. It was Rhys who spoke up first, clearing his throat to master his voice.

“You don’t know?”

”Obviously.” She looked to Feyre for support. What the hell is that supposed to mean? Feyre said nothing, watching Rhysand talk with rapt attention.

When he spoke again, it was cautious, as if his words may startle her. “Nesta. The flowers are from Cassian. He’s done them every year since Mrs. Christine died.”

She was suddenly short of breath. Everyone’s attention snapped to Rhys, including her father’s. Her sisters and Azriel were looking at Rhysand with stunned expressions, their eyes flicking to her face occasionally.

“What? How could you know— why would you know, when we don’t? What the fuck is going on?” She was falling over her own words, struggling to form any cohesive thought.

”I’m so sorry,” Rhysand glanced around the room for the first time, realizing he had everyone’s attention. “The only reason I knew was because he asked me to make sure they made it from the flower shop to her gravesite the year he had knee surgery. He asked me to keep it to myself then, but I figured by now he would have said something to at least one other person.” He looked down into his plate, various emotions playing over his handsome face. Feyre leaned over to comfort him, knowing he was likely embarrassed to be the reason the air had changed so dramatically.

Nesta’s head was swimming, emotions roiling from a million different directions. She knew anger was cheap and unfair, but she pulled on that tether as hard as she could to make sure she could navigate everything she was processing. She was on her feet suddenly, pushing her chair away from the table and walking toward her keys.

“I have to go.” She couldn’t be in here anymore. The room was too small, the walls were too close. Too many people. She picked up the pace, flinging the door open and shutting it hard behind her. She was down the porch steps when she heard the door open again. Azriel’s voice followed her.

”Nesta. Where are you going? Nesta, stop!” He had jogged lightly to catch up with her, and he tugged her gently by the wrist to stop her. She spun on him quickly, eyes flaring and brimming with tears.

“Anywhere but here! What the fuck was that, Az?”

He said nothing; looked down at his own feet as he shook his head.

“Cassian has some fucking nerve, you know that? Why is he insisting upon himself?” Her voice was lowered and had taken on an almost eerie quality; the calm before the proverbial storm.

“Nes, I don’t think he meant to upset you. It sounds like it’s something he’s made somewhat of a tradition. Maybe he just wanted to be sure and see it through.”

”He doesn’t get to do that anymore, Azriel. He doesn’t get to butt-dial me while he makes date plans with some girl, then turn around and send flowers to my dead mother. What am I supposed to think about that? And how would that make his girlfriend feel?” Azriel pulled her into a hug at that, resting his chin on top of her head. He didn’t answer her. There was nothing to say.

She pulled away from him, gripping her keys, and walked toward her car. “I’m out. Tell them I love them, and I’ll call tomorrow.” She nodded her chin toward the house, climbed into her car, and backed out of the driveway.

——————————————————————————

She wasn’t sure how long she’d driven before she found herself in his driveway. She knew it hadn’t been very long considering the sun was still clinging to the end of the day. She honestly didn’t remember making the conscious decision to come here, likely fueled by anger and muscle memory more than anything else. She was still so frustrated at her situation, her emotions spilling over and refusing to be put into that stupid fucking box anymore. The worst part was that, as mad as she was with him, she so badly wanted to see him. She wished the circumstances were less complicated so that she could knock, ask for a hug and some tea, and lay on his couch. They were a hell of a long way from those people now.

She loosed a breath, puffing her cheeks with air and exhaling slowly. Just before she peeled her head from the headrest to get out, his front door opened. He opened it most of the way, then leaned against the door jamb on his shoulder. He had his hands in the pockets of his sweats and one of his ankles crossed casually over the other. For a moment, she only looked at him, unable to move or offer any type of acknowledgement. She took in the charcoal henley he was wearing, unbuttoned save for the very last one. The small flap of the opening leaned to the side, revealing the base of his neck and the beginning of his tattoos. He looked so very Cassian, casual and laid-back, that she struggled to keep her emotions level at the mere sight of him. His hair was down, looking like he had just run his fingers through it with its deep part and how it fell haphazardly around his face. He was wearing his reading glasses, she noticed, the thick frames highlighting the sharp angle of his cheekbones and the wide set of his jaw. He gave her a soft smile, and cocked his head to the side and back in invitation. She could almost hear him gently telling her to “get in here”.

Too late to turn back now.

——————————————————————————

A/N: Alrighty, hope y’all enjoyed this chapter, even with minimal Nessian. The next chapter(s) will more than make up for it, though! I’m hoping to have max Nessian to y’all ASAP. A million thanks to all of you who continue to follow this au. Your comments/ feedback have meant the world to me!

If you’d like to be tagged, feel free to comment, reblog, or send a message! I’d be happy to add you to the list. If I’ve accidentally left you off or there are issues with your tag, let me know, and I’ll look into it! Comments and constructive criticism are welcome (even encouraged)!

Tags:

@polireader // @lord-douglas-the-third // @justgiu12 // @notyournymphetish // @sjm-things // @strangeenemy // @iammissstark // @keshavomit // @sjmships // @cookiemonsterwholovesbooks // @dusty-lightbulb // @texas-shaped-waffle-maker // @julemmaes // @charincharge // @superspiritfestival // @awesomelena555 // @sleeping-and-books // @hizqueen4life // @maastrash // @bookstantrash // @rhyswhitethorn // @grace-k-sterling // @sayosdreams // @sis-it-dont-add-up // @ladywitchling // @b00kworm // @courtofjurdan

[the-dreadful-canine]

1, 4, and 6 for the OC ask?? :D

Hiiiii thank you for the ask! I answered each question for one of them to shorten the length of the post, but the answers still turned out a bit long :'D

1. Origins! How did you come up with the concept of your OC?

Ornay Adaar

So, I came up with Ornay while I was rewriting my fic, and his first version was a very happy-go-lucky guy, kind of naive and pretty young (he was like, fresh out of his 18 or 20). But as the new draft progressed and the story' took a sharp turn into a darker mood, this sweet version of him didn't fit into the plot anymore, so I adjusted the Herald' disposition. Now he was a decent, serious and committed guy, but something was still missing.

The light bulb moment happened while I was mindlessly scrolling through my dash and I came across a post talking about the lack of evil inclined Inquisitors. I thought about it and then ah-ha! Thus, fckboy Ornay was born.

Because Elizabeth obviously doesn't have obstacles enough on her 'new' life, so a viper for a leader/only hope in saving Thedas from doom would be the perfect cherry on top of the cake.

Making Ornay look pretty was an afterthought tho.

4. How do you get into your OCs mindset to write for them? How do you find the muse for them?

Elizabeth

I wish I had a more poetic answer for this one but I am quite the simple woman: I literally listen to "Chasing Twisters" by Delta Rae once or twice and bam! I can practically feel the muse breathing down my neck and demanding me to write her words lmao.

But on low inspiration days, to lure the muse I like to open a prompt generator and write a short scene from her POV. It helps me so much not only to get in her head but also to get the writing fuel running :D

6. What is your OC family situation? Do they get along? Do they fight? Or are they alone?

Ferian Lavellan

Ferian... My poor, sweet dadquisitor bb.

He used to have a family, a whole clan! He was born and raised in there, all the adults were his aunts and uncles, all his friends were his siblings.

He watched his siblings grow and find love, and even found a partner of his own. And then he watched as they started the cycle all over again, he helped to raise his siblings' kids and was the uncle of all and each of the younglings.

But then he was at the Conclave, and the Anchor happened, and he had an Inquisition to lead and people to bring hope to. And when he got word of the Marchers threat, he foolishly tried to reason with them with diplomacy, and everything was lost.

All that was left was to turn to his new companions for some semblance of a family and a place to belong. But it was late and the pace of his life was set and once the Big Threat was defeated and the world was saved, they too left.

He's alone.

[triptuckers]

Best Years - Calum Hood

Request: nope Pairing: calum hood x reader Summary: after being engaged for a few months, reader and calum got married without anyone besides their friends and family knowing. eventually the fans get to know as well Warnings: none Word count: a little less than 1K A/N: I got this idea a while back and it’s been sitting in my drafts for a while now. I’m originally a huge ash stan but,, have you seen calum hood?? lol hope you enjoy, my requests are open! :)

it was kind of a bold move. by changing your instagram username from “yfn/yln” to “y/nhood”, everyone knew you and calum got married. you didn’t want it to be a secret anymore. you had enjoyed a few amazing months with your husband, and you were ready to let everyone know.

of course, your closest friends and your family knew, but the fans went completely insane. they knew you and calum got engaged, and you received a ton of support. they kept asking the two of you when you were going to marry, not knowing you already got married.

a couple days later, you’re a little bored in the house. calum went to the studio to quickly record this idea he got with ashton. you’re mindlessly scrolling through notifications on your phone. they have been flooding in non stop since you changed your username. one of them catches your eye. “y/n you haven’t done a live in ages!! we miss u :(”

well, they were right about that. and you didn’t have anything else to do. you make yourself a coup of coffee and hop on the kitchen counter. you put your phone down and start a live stream on instagram.

as expected, the comments pop up at an amazing speed. you smile as you read a few of them. you answer the ones you like and thank the people complimenting you. even michael joins your live for a while, commenting the most random things.

after a while of answering questions and drinking your coffee, your eye lands on a specific comment. you smile and read it out loud. ‘someone’s asking “y/n do you have any wedding pics you want to show us?”. well, I don’t, actually.’ you say and you chuckle. ‘well, no official ones, to be honest. sure, we got some that the guys took but we didn’t have an official wedding photographer. then again, we didn’t really have a wedding.’

woosh. there are so many new comments you can hardly read them all. everyone’s confused and asking you more about the wedding. you chuckle as you try to read them.

‘boy, are you all curious.’ you say laughing. ‘well, I guess it can’t hurt to tell the story. you all know cal and I got married. and we agreed when the time was right, we- or one of us- would tell the story. we don’t have official wedding photographs because we didn’t have an official wedding. the boys were on tour, but they had a couple days off in between shows. and they were in san francisco, which is one of my favourite cities. I missed cal incredibly, and I was getting kind of impatient. I really wanted to marry him, you see. and so I called cal, and he was confused ‘cause it was like in the middle of the night back in australia, and he didn’t know why I was calling him. and so I confessed my thoughts and after some talking we decided to just get married. to skip the planning and all that. I bought a plane ticket and I also bought sierra, crystal and kaykay one because I knew they would kill me if I got married without them. we flew to san francisco, met up with the boys, went to the nearest courthouse and eloped. and there you go, that’s our whole wedding story.’

you read comments after you finish telling the story. some people think it’s fantastic, others can’t imagine not having a wedding. you answer questions about the ‘wedding’ for a few more minutes when the front door opens. 

you smile and turn your head as calum walks up to you. ‘hi baby.’ you say. calum kisses your cheek and looks at the screen of your phone. ‘what are you talking about princess?’ he asks you. ‘told them our wedding story.’ you say and calum immediately smiles.  ‘the whole story?’ he says. ‘yeah.’ you say. calum smirks at you. ‘also the part about how you got drunk and proposed to me? after we got married?’ he says grinning. you sigh. calum always loved that part of the story. ‘no. not that part.’ you say and calum laughs.

‘how about I say goodbye and you can tell me about your day?’ you say, ignoring the new comments about you getting drunk on your wedding day. calum nods. ‘gladly. missed you today.’ he says and you smile. you look at the screen of your phone. ‘well, you heard it, that’s all for today. thanks for hanging around, talking to me, I had fun. y/n hood out.’ you say and you end the live stream.

you put your phone in the back pocket of your jeans and walk over to the living room, where calum is sitting on the couch. you sit down next to him and snuggle up to him.

‘where you able to write the whole thing down?’ you ask him and he nods.  ‘oh yeah, the fans are going to love this one.’ he says. ‘sing a few lines for me?’ you say and calum smiles. you still melt when he sings to you, even after all these years. 

‘I wanna hold your hair when you drink too much carry you home when you cannot stand up you did all these things for me when I was half a man for you I wanna hold your hand while we're growing up’

you yawn and bury your face in calum’s neck.  ‘I like it.’ you say. ‘you should put it on the album.’ ‘we were planning on, yeah.’ says calum and he turns his head to kiss your forehead.

A/N: If you want to request something, make sure to read my house rules Here’s the list of characters I write for. Everything that I have written can be found on my masterlist. Please don’t repost my work, as I spend much time and effort on it!! Thank you for reading! Much love, Jo

[paradisobound]

Sail Away With Me: Part 5

Summary: It was a fluke. Dan shouldn’t have ever gone with Sam to a party on a yacht. He shouldn’t have trusted her to go. But in a chance encounter, he ends up in bed with Phil Lester, a billionaire CEO of a luxury clothing company. When he thinks he’s screwed up enough, he realizes he’s in way too deep. Because Phil Lester has fallen in love with him. The catch: Dan gave Phil a fake name and all Phil has to remember Dan by is the tattoo on his hip and the necklace he left behind.

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 2.5k

Warnings: Brief Alcohol and Drug mentions 

Pairing: Instagraminfluencer!dan and CEO!Phil

This is a chaptered work. Updates every Saturday around 1pm EST

**MASTERLIST | ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN | WATTPAD**

Phil’s POV

“Do you recognize any of these men?” 

Phil looked down at all of the pictures on Jeanna’s tablet. She was scrolling through them all as Phil looked carefully at each picture, trying to figure out if he recognized any of them…so far he hasn’t. 

“No, I don’t.” 

Jeanna bit her lip and then scrolled a bit further down the page. “This is the list of males who were named Ethan who attended a party in Amalfi the same day as yours so I was hoping maybe one would be correct.” 

“None of them are.” 

Phil let out a long sigh and then laid his head down on his arms on his desk. Phil had come into his office today just for this. Jeanna had said she’d done extensive searching and had come up with quite a few people for Phil to look at. But so far, nothing was working. 

“Maybe I can search just for people who were…” 

“It’s not going to work, Jeanna.” Phil said with a defeated sigh. “I’m never going to find Ethan. It’s just hopeless.” 

Jeanna sat back in her plastic chair, the material creaking under her and she shifted her weight from left foot to right foot, crossing the one over the other. She leaned forward and took the tablet away just as Phil lifted his head back up again to face her. 

“But what if it’s not hopeless?” Jeanna asks. “I have some ideas.” 

“Like what?” Phil asks, smoothing his hair back that had fallen onto his forehead and adjusting his now crooked glasses. 

“Just wait and see!” Jeanna said with a smile. “I have a few tricks up my sleeve.” 

Phil lent her a smile as he sat back in his chair and tried his best to believe that Jeanna would actually work her magic and be able to help him out. 

It’s been a while since Phil has felt like this over another guy. He actually thinks that last time he’s been so adamant to find a one night stand was well…Lukas. That was nearly 15 years ago and the thought of it being that long since he’d known Lukas was painful, squeezing his heart in all the wrong ways. He fights back the tears that begin to move forward as he thinks about blonde hair and green eyes. 

He’s still thinking about Lukas, tempted to pull out his phone and look through the locked album on his phone that holds all of his and Lukas’s memories from years past. But just as he starts to reach into his pocket, Jeanna slaps down her tablet onto the table and looks at Phil with an excited smile. 

“I have my idea!” 

“Go on?” Phil asks, laughing at how enthusiastic she’s being about this. 

“We’ll put out a search for him! Surely if he knows we’re looking for him, he’ll come forward right?” 

Phil furrows his brows. “This sounds like a really bad idea.” 

“But what if it’s not?” Jeanna asks, pinching the display on her iPad to enlarge a post she’d drafted on Phil’s Twitter. “What if we advertise that we’re looking for a male named Ethan who has a rose tattoo on their hip.” 

“But isn’t that going to make some people go out and deliberately get a tattoo just to try and fit the mould of Ethan?” Phil asks because that’s a serious thing he feels like could put a damper in their search. 

“Well, of course. But only you’ll know the correct Ethan right?” Jeanna asks. “Like if we put out a search and say 1,000 Ethan’s come forward fitting our description, that must mean you can surely pick out your Ethan from the crowd?” 

Phil taps his fingers against his chin and thinks on it. This could either go horrifically or this could go great and he can find the actual man of his dreams. He feels a bit like he’s cheating on Lukas when he says that in his mind. 

But Lukas has been gone for a while now. Lukas would want him to move on and to find someone else to share his life with. But why does he still feel like he’s betraying him when he thinks about Ethan and how much he would love to be with him? 

Maybe this is why he spent so much of the last few years throwing parties and sleeping with the first man he found attractive? Because maybe if he left himself convinced that if he was just mindlessly sleeping with men, then he wasn’t cheating on Lukas because he didn’t feel anything. 

But now that he feels something…

“Phil, are you okay?” 

Jeanna almost never addresses him as his first name. And maybe if his head was a bit more clear, he would warn her against it but this time, he doesn’t mind. He needs someone to keep him grounded and Jeanna does just that most of the time. That’s why he hired her a few years ago when he realized that he needed someone like her. 

“You want to find Ethan right?” 

Phil nods and glances back at her with a sad smile on his face. “This is the first time I’m actively tried to pursue someone since…since Lukas died.” 

Jeanna gives him a watery smile and reaches out, patting his arm with her delicate hand. “He would have wanted this, you know? He would have wanted to see you meeting someone new who you wanted to be with.” 

A brash part of Phil wants to tell her that no, she possibly couldn’t know because she never even so much as met Lukas. But he also knows that she’s completely correct and so he nods and lets his eyes cloud over a bit with unshed tears as he holds them back. 

“I want to find him.” He finally says. “I really want to find Ethan.” 

“Then we’ll find him.” She says. “One way or another, we’ll find you your Ethan.” 

Phil nods back and lets out a small laugh as he glances down at her tablet again. 

“So tell me,” Jeanna says, picking the iPad away from Phil’s view. “What did Ethan look like?” 

Phil feels his lips curl into a large smile as he begins to describe all of the features of Ethan from his memory. 

***

Dan’s POV 

Dan is out with Samantha at a party in some rich guys penthouse in London when he sees the Twitter notification scroll across his phone from a breaking news site. He’s a few drinks down and at least a half a sheet to the wind when he feels like his world is crashing down around him. 

BILLIONAIRE CEO PHIL LESTER IS SEARCHING FOR ETHAN: A MALE HE MET AT HIS PARTY A FEW WEEKS AGO. DETAILS BELOW 

Dan feels like all of his breath is sucked out of him as his fingers begin to shake and he sets down his half-full glass onto the bar and steps away from a male named Johnathan who had been trying to get into his pants for the last half an hour. Dan was close to letting him, if he was being honest. But that was way before he saw that scroll across as breaking news on his phone. 

Phil Lester, Billionaire CEO of the clothing company Le Grand Amour is looking for what he is claiming to be ‘his one true love’. Lester met with a male by the name of ‘Ethan’ at his party in Amalfi, Italy on the night of July 22nd and wants to be reunited with him. He is hoping that he can find the male that is Ethan. 

If you’re the Ethan Phil is looking for, Lester is holding a meeting at his office in Victoria on 1st August at 14:00. More details are on Phil’s detailed post linked below. 

Dan looked down at the date on his phone and realized it was July 28th and he felt his heart beat through his chest. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t show up and…fuck he was going throw up. 

Dan rushed out of the party and into the bathroom which was somehow unoccupied and lost all of the contents of his stomach into the toilet bowl. As the hook in his stomach continued to pull, he heard the door behind him open and a familiar set of hands on his back, rubbing it. 

“Couldn’t hold your alcohol tonight?” Sam asked, her voice oddly soothing. 

Dan sat back and wiped his mouth with some toilet paper and then he threw that into the bowl and flushed the toilet. He struggled to gather his breath and composure. He turned his head and looked at how perfectly polished Sam still was despite the bloodshot in her eyes and the smell of vodka on her breath. 

“You didn’t see what’s breaking news on Twitter?” 

Sam shook her head and pulled out her phone from her fanny pack, looking it over. She tapped on Twitter and Dan watched her mouth drop open as she read over the post. 

“You’re…Dan! Phil fucking Lester is calling you his true love.” Sam says, hitting his arm repeatedly with her hand. He pushed her off and mumbled an ow at her excited expressions. “Phil Lester is in love with you!” 

Dan shushed her as he looked at the cocked open door where the lights and sounds were coming through. She noticed his stare at the door and she stood up, shutting it and locking it so no one could get in. “He’s not in love with me, Sam.” 

“He’s literally willing to risk everything to meet hundreds…probably thousands of people to try and find you!” Sam says. “You need to go and meet him on this day!” 

“Sam, that’s a ridiculous fucking idea.” 

“Dan, you’re acting like a fool right now!” Sam exclaims. “Phil Lester is putting out a search warrant for you and you’re sitting here saying it’s a ridiculous idea!” 

Dan looks down between them and lets out a sigh. “He doesn’t want me, Sam. He wants Ethan. I’m not Ethan.” 

“But you are Ethan!” Sam argues. “You’re Ethan…because you were too damn scared to give Phil your real name so now you’re stuck under a pseudonym.” Sam sat back on her heels. “You liked Phil, right? Like you liked your night with him?” 

Dan shrugged his shoulders. “Of course I loved my night with him. It was sex. It was sex with Phil Lester. Of course it felt incredible.” 

Sam rolled her eyes. “You’re acting completely ridiculous.” 

“And you’re not?” Dan pressed back. “I’m trying to tell you that I don’t want to meet him again and you’re pushing me to do so!” 

“I’m not pushing you to do anything, Dan. I’m telling you that you need to meet up with Phil because if you don’t, you’ll regret that for the rest of your life.” Sam lets out a sigh. “But lets not do this right now. We’re both a bit tipsy and this conversation isn’t getting anywhere. Let’s just sleep on it.” 

Dan stands up on wobbly legs and quickly agrees as he moves past Sam and walks out of the bathroom, ignoring Johnathan who was rushing towards him as a last resort. He gets to the elevator just in time for the unshed feelings to unleash as he fell into the corner and cried all 15 floors down to the bottom. 

***

Dan slept on it but in the morning, his mind was still not mad up. He texted Sam and apologized for snapping at her last night and she apologized back too and then they made up by sending each other pictures of memes they saw and everything went well. 

For most of the next day, Dan spent his time working on a new product sponsorship he agreed to do for a new detox tea that the company had given him a lot of money for. He spent a lot of his time trying to figure out what he should do for the photo. 

He decides to put on an athletic shirt and some shorts and pour some water into a cup as he masked it as tea. He used the caption they sent him in the message and he posted the photo with his unique sales code for his followers to use. He would make some money from those who used it but the payout was bigger just to post the photo than the code was. 

With that posted and approved, he chucked the tea into the garbage because he wasn’t about to actually drink a tea with laxatives in it and then he made actual real tea instead. He went onto his laptop next to go through his new emails from companies and he found a new email from Luxor. 

He opened it up and was still sipping his tea when he read the next email and spat it out all down the front of his shirt. 

Luxor x Le Grand Amour: Coming Soon 

Hello Daniel, We wanted to email you to let you know that our collaboration with Le Grand Amour is under way and we would love to have you be the model for our first products. We will get into contact with you in a few weeks time to let you know when you will be needed. You will of course be paid for your time. 

Best, 

Timothy Duvey, Luxor CEO 

Dan quickly wiped down his front and felt his heart race as he read over the email over and over again. This couldn’t be happening. He literally wasn’t going to be able to escape Phil at all. He was going to have to confront Phil at some point. 

But why is that so difficult? 

Dan can admit that he likes Phil. Of course he does. He remembers the spark. He remembers how it felt to be with Phil and when he closes his eyes, he can see Phil behind them. He can imagine his life with Phil by his side, showering him in gifts and giving him so much affection. God, Dan wants that so badly. 

He feels touch starved and its been so long since someone has actually wanted him for more than just sex. It feels overwhelming and maybe that’s why Dan is fighting this so much. He’s fighting back these feelings that he hasn’t had time to ever feel. 

Dan puts down the top of his laptop and then opens his phone, opening the calendar. He puts the date August 1st in his calendar and puts down the time and then locks the screen, sitting back in his chair as he felt tears brim his eyes and break through the dam, skittering down his cheeks. 

[junkercrush]

Can you write a real kinky exchange between Roadhog and reader where the reader calls Mako daddy on accident and he calls them “little piggy”? Thank you so much!! 🐷

Um, yes.

*~*~*~*

“Daddy Hog”

Slightly NSFW

Pairing: Roadhog x Gender-Neutral Reader

Words: 971

Mako has been gone for two months. This sucks.

Whatever you did to busy yourself wasn’t working. You took many trips with your friends and family, hung out at Overwatch’s library (major bibliophile), and even took on missions nobody else at Headquarters wanted to do.

Everything feels so off for you since Roadhog and Junkrat were sent to Australia. For what, it was top secret. You had a feeling it had something to do with the ancient Omnium plants.

One bored evening, you were mindlessly surfing the web and discovered Overwatch fanfiction.

 “The hell’s this?” You muttered with a smirk. Tons were stories about your boss Jack, Genji, and even Winston (God why). Some stories were pretty damn good. Others were so terrible you almost choked on your morning coffee.

 You found Roadhog fanfiction. Of course, there was.

 At first, you were all territorial about it. Who the hell was writing NSFW material about your man?! You studied the author profiles for any hints of their real identities, scrolled through the endless titles list, and stopped at one: “Daddy Hog.”

 Ho boy.

 You clicked on the title and skimmed through the 2,000-word short:

 ‘Are you ready for your punishment, princess?’ Roadhog asked, whipping out his belt.

‘Yes, Daddy.’ You moaned, bent over his desk.

 “Holy shit!” You whispered and closed your laptop. You liked it. The story made you blush.

                                                *~*~*~*

 The next day, you told your friends what you found during lunch.

 “Oh yeah, that’s pretty common, sweetheart.” One friend said as she nitpicked through her bland garden salad. “Have you found any stories about your boyfriend? I’m sure there are millions of girls pouring their wet dream stories about him online.”

 “Uh, don’t forget the millions of guys! They want some of that Mako too.” Another friend noted as she wolfed down a cheeseburger. She turned to you. “You should write one. I mean, he’s yours. I’m surprised you haven’t done one already.”

 But who really needs to write about their significant other when they see them every day? Oh yeah, you don’t.

 You haven’t written any fanfiction for so long.

 You did write a fic for a friend back in high school. It was a Jack Morrison x Reader fic, way back when your boss before he “died” and became Soldier 76. Seeing Jack now and thinking about that fic now felt awkward.

 Vrr-Vrr!

 Your cell vibrated on the cafeteria table. A picture of unmasked Mako cuddling a pachimari appeared on the screen. “There he is!” Your salad friend shouted.

 You snatched the phone off the table and walked to a quiet corner of the cafeteria. “Hey Mako,” You greeted. “What’s going on?”

 Mako let out a long groan. “I’ll be here for another month.”

“Okay.” You sighed. You closed your eyes and slouched your shoulders with disappointment.

“I’m sorry, (Y/N). Things got complicated down here.”

“No babe, don’t apologize. You gotta do what you gotta do. Is Rat behaving?”

 Mako laughed. You smiled. “He’s not getting himself killed.” He paused. “I miss you.”

 “I miss you too.”

 You heard something crash, gunshots, and Jamie’s R.I.P tire roaring on the other side. Mako groaned again.  “I’ll talk to you later.”

 “Bye.”

You hung up. Dammit, you wanted Hog now!

Maybe you should try your hand at some Roadhog fanfiction. It’ll occupy your mind for a while.

                                                   *~*~*~*

 Ah, dream world. The great escape.

 You weren’t in your room at Overwatch anymore. Stuffed animals surrounded you in your new bedroom. A snack cart filled with cookies and small cakes stood nearby your silky four-poster bed.

 By the looks of it, you were super rich and super spoiled. A line of butlers and maids entered your room. The lead butler held a robe for you. “Master Rutledge has returned.” He announced.

You tried not to laugh. Master Rutledge? Really? You had a vivid image of Mako prancing around in some dapper suit with a cane. What is this dream?

A maid helped you into your robe. You peeked outside and spotted Mako stepping out of a limo. Damn, he was fine in his black and yellow suit. He still had his mask and his LEFT rings on his left hand.

You dashed downstairs to meet him. “Daddy!” You blurted out. Where did that come from?

“My little piggy.” Mako scooped you up into his arms, lifting his mask to kiss you. He carried you back into your bedroom. The servants followed until Mako kindly waved them off.

“Show Daddy how much you missed me.” He said as he laid you back on your bed.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Fuck whoever thought of alarm clocks!

You were in your old room, back at Overwatch. Drafts of your latest stories were scattered all over your bed. Your laptop was still on.

You took a moment to check on your latest fanfiction stats.

Sweet, you had 20 new readers and 54 notifications. Most of the notes were positive comments from a “SweeT_HoG66.” Another “Daddy Hog” fan obviously.

                                                 *~*~*~*

One month, 24 short “Daddy” stories and 600 followers later, Mako calls you again. You were in the middle of writing another story.

“Hi, Daddy!” You chirped. Crap, you had your writer’s life mixed up with your real one! It was quiet on  Mako’s side. “Mako?” You swallowed nervously.

“I’m home, little piggy.”

Your room door open and Mako comes in. One hand still holding his tiny phone and an “Outback Ranger” pachimari in the other.

Thank God, this wasn’t a dream. You leaped towards his huge belly, kissing his piggy belly button. Mako chuckled.

“You really missed me,” He said. “Like your stories.”

You froze. “Eh?”

“You didn’t think SweeT_HoG66 would know the real writer?” Mako lifted you closer to his face, your lips brushing against his. “Let me be your real daddy.”

                                                 THE END

[bomberqueen17]

happy new year

I didn’t do any deep retrospective or wrap-up kind of analysis on my year, yet. Maybe I will. I don’t remember, did I last year? 

I did take a glance at my AO3 stats. There’s no deep conclusion to be drawn, though-- here’s the trend. 2013: 213,082 words posted. 2014: 381,701. 2015: 382,719. 2016: 411,584. 2017: 189,899. And 2018: 41,790.

Pretty clear that my decision in 2016 to cut my hours at work so I could write more has not paid off long-term, because of course, the farm has grown to fill all available space, and I can’t write when I’m there very well, so. 

Some of the alarming trend toward not writing at all is exaggerated, though, because those are words posted, not words written. To figure out how many words I wrote this year, I’d have to look at revision histories in scattered documents. But the big main thing is that of course no original writing goes up on AO3, so none of that is displayed. I spent all year noodling on this thing with the mammoths, and had no big fandom meanwhile. 

I did get 50k words for November, and cut out the irrelevant ones from dead-end stories and tangents at the end of that month, and over the course of December I’ve managed to claw back up to about 42,000 words on that story.

I might start regularly posting it on Dreamwidth. I don’t know how else to give myself some of that boost that posting to AO3 used to give me. I don’t want to publish this book piecemeal, I want to actually compile it into a Formally Publishable format, although at this point I strongly doubt whether I’ll bother trying to submit to an agent or whatever-- that’s for people who can get their shit together, and I very clearly am not that sort of person. 

So anyway. One last plug for me on DW, I guess, if you want to read the solarpunk mammoths novel; I’ll post it f-locked, and kinda disclaimer from the beginning that I’ll probably just be posting a very rough draft and probably not the complete thing, but it should be a fun little romp through world-building and character development if anyone wants to tag along. 

Meanwhile-- I do still check in on Tumblr and PF once in a while but I have a lot more free time since I stopped mindlessly endless-scrolling Tumblr, and there are some of you who I miss very much but since there’s so much redundant content on Tumblr it’s hard to find you, and I’m sorry for that. But I have found a almost enough excitement on DW to sustain me-- and since there are privacy filters there, I feel like I can post original writing, so that’s where my home will be going forward. 

(I also am putting up assloads of photos on Flickr so anyone who feels like they’ve missed out, there I am too.)

[banesbottombitch]

I am now in need of a part 4 for Henry gets a haircut, I NEED more of this Carly discourse, I am in love!!

It’s here, my child. This, man. I did like two drafts of this, and made an outline. It was hard to get through at first and I scrapped the first two versions before I got this one, which i love so much. I finally, FINALLY, got to use my favorite fanfiction trope. What is it? Read on and find out.

Word Count: +7,700

Warnings: Jealousy, Vic Scheming, Patrick being a decently threatening and intimidating guy. She/Her Reader. Extra warning; I proofread, but I’m still human, and I make mistakes.

Related Posts: Henry Gets a Haircut Tag

Tagged:  @beverlylllmarsh, @restoftheworldfallsaway @ghoulishtozier@itwasmathilda, @fangirlinganditswonders, @neoandersons, @basicwheeler, @leetime14, @passionfortrashin @nurserykryme @nonrelatableteen @fangirlinganditswonders, @henrybcwer, @tonguepopperr, @benryhowers, @heartayeche @wtf-is-a-sleep @unechatteparmideschiens @dopegonzo, @darth-stetter If you asked to be tagged and I didn’t get you, pm me!

“I’ve been dethroned.” You said tartly, together on the bleachers with Vic after school and hanging your legs limply off the furthest most left side of the row. You laid with your head in Vic’s lap, letting him mindlessly braid your hair while his eyes searched the football field for Belch, while your peers and friend barreled into each other like deranged bulls, shouts of triumph and pain reaching the two of you easily.

“You think so, Princess?” He murmured, kohl rimmed eyes finding the frown you wore. “Because methinks you’re on to something.”

A sigh, a shift of your shoulders, and he hummed, threading thin fingers through your locks and shaking loose your braids.

“What do you want to do about it?” Vic countered your silence with a prompt, one you had been mulling over for quite some time.

It was just the two of you, with Belch practicing on the field while Patrick had zipped off with the keys to the Trans-Am to grab some snacks and would be returning soon enough. Henry was MIA, and it was easy enough to guess where exactly he was at, but you didn’t dare think of the arm candy he was certainly banging in some pastel pink bedroom.

Henry had been pretty out of the way all week since the diner, his time spent with his new sweetheart or at home, avoiding you altogether and taking to hanging by his lonesome or just swinging by Belch’s once you had left. It hurt to know he was making a point to only enter a room if you had vacated it, but you guessed it made sense. The only time you really saw him was when Belch picked you up for school and dropped you off at home, or at lunch, where Henry left you to your own devices.

You knew the dynamic shifted that day at the diner, and it just became more painfully obvious as time went on, the tension between Henry and yourself made worse by your own spiteful and passive aggressive nature.

Carly’s presence at the lunch table, how Henry followed her around with an arm snaked at her hips and a hand tucked in her back pocket, or how she had started joining the crew for your days out and shenanigans after school made you feel the brunt of the change even more.

Everywhere you turned, any time you wanted to get away from the stress of classes and impending college applications, she was there. So pretty, so sweet, charming Henry and even getting Belch to soften up- then again, Belch was sure to let his guard down for any woman, he had always had a weak spot for girls, and was a perfect gentleman when it came down to it.

A week. A week of being inches from unloading another passive aggressive snarl on the girl and seven days of worrying when Henry would snap at you next.

Then came the next saturday, which had usually been the most looked forward day for any of you in the gang. It was the beginning of the weekend, obviously, but it also housed your personal favorite activity, Belch’s bonfires.

You let your saturday drone on, Vic in dance classes and Henry fucking around, the company of Belch and Patrick your shadows for that particular afternoon. Like usual, you three set it all up. It took a walk through the backwoods on Belch’s property and hauling a cooler, chairs and a couple blankets and pillows to get the job done, but you three were happy and all smiles by the time Vic arrived, dropped off by his parents and in his work out clothes.

Patrick was just then lighting the ‘bonfire’ when he showed up, which was really a rusted out fire pit Belch’s mom had picked up for him to roast marshmallows over and camp on the property with in the summers, but had instead served as the centerpiece of your saturday evenings, though a few smores had in fact been made with its use.

“That’s a lot of lighter fluid, ‘Trick.” Vic mused, coming to sit at your side and in a rickety but comfortable folding chair, settling in its polyester skin as if it were a throne.

“Fuck off, that’s how you make sure it fuckin’ lights, nimrod.” Patrick said, always on the defensive on his fire starting technique. You wouldn’t admit you thought the same, but the knowing smile you shared with Belch and Vic was proof enough that it could go unsaid.

Patrick squeezed the bottle of lighter fluid a few more times, drenching the firewood and kindling in the nasty smelling liquid before capping it and tossing the bottle aside for later use, digging in his pockets and procuring a pack of matches. He snapped one off, dragging it against the strip across the back, lighting the match with one try.

He flicked it into the pit, which roared to life instantly, the dark haired boy hovering over the flames for a moment, mesmerized by how they licked at the wood before you called out to him.

“Patrick, you’re gonna singe off your fucking eyebrows, back up you maniac.”

He rolled his eyes, but backed away and plopped down in a chair on your other side, taking his cigarettes out of the crappy mesh cup holder built into the chair and crossing his ankle over his knee, jiggling his leg in that antsy sort of way you had grown used to seeing.

“Where the fuck is Henry?” He asked aloud, sticking a cigarette between his lips and offering you the pack. You denied the offer with a quick wave of your hand, shrugging to his question.

“Dunno. Reggie, you heard anything?”

Belch lounged across the fire pit from you, nursing an ice cold beer and pulling out his phone. He typed in his passcode, scrolling a few times and frowned.

“Uh, yeah. He says he’ll be here in a bit. He’s running late.” Belch slipped his phone back in his pocket, chewing his lip, the action making you wonder if he was only giving the half truth.

Bending down beside your chair, you felt around for your backpack, unzipping it and digging past the contents. “Fine, then he can miss a chapter or two.”

“He’s gonna be pissed. We’re in the middle of the story.” Vic warned lightly, clapping his hands at Belch, who knew to throw the blond a can of beer.

You scoffed, taking out a worn and dog eared copy of ‘Dreamcatcher’ from your backpack, flipping through it until you landed on a familiar page and smoothing out the bent corner.

“Well he knows how it goes. I start reading when the sun begins to set.” You glanced up, noting how the sky was become an ocean of pastels, the hues of orange, pink, purple and blue bending across the horizon as the shadows of the fire lit the pages of your novel. “And it’s starting to set. So, tough shit, Bowers.”

You settled against the back of your chair, clearing your throat as Patrick lit his cigarette and Vic cracked open his beer, all eyes on you as you began to read.

You made it through a solid chapter before a rustling could be heard over the crackling fire, and you paused, a smile loose on your lips as you lifted your head, ready to greet Henry and welcome him to the story circle with open arms, to invite back that normalcy between the two of you and to catch him up on what he missed.

Instead, your smile dropped, and you had to clench your jaw tight from letting it drop open, watching as Henry stomped through the tall grass with Carly on his arm, her smile positively blinding.

“Wow.” You found yourself whispering lowly as they approached, Patrick’s leg coming to a stand still as he watched Henry lug his accessory to the circle.

“The fuck, [Last Name]?” Henry nodded at the book in your hands, taking to the cooler and turning from you, his words nonchalant, as if he hadn’t been ignoring and avoiding you all week. “You started without us?”

“I-” You looked to Patrick, swiveling to look at him as you whispered under your breath. “Dude am I having a fever dream?”

“No.” Patrick said back, the hand closest to you curling into a fist, the light of the fire dancing off the metals of his rings.

“Well, I wish I was.” Defeated, you turned back to Henry and Carly, who dug through the cooler together.

“Got anything that’s not beer and soda?” She asked absently, peeking over her shoulder to Belch, who shrugged uselessly.

Your eyes settled on him, and he was quick to avoid your gaze, looking positively guilty. It was then to realized he had known from the start that this was going to happen, and figured Henry had texted him earlier to announce her impending arrival.

Betrayed, irritated, and at a loss for words, you just sat there, scratching at the edge of the page, watching Carly move ice around in search for a drink to fit her delicate palette.

Why did you hate her? You wondered, really trying to find a good reason to loathe this girl, because it wasn’t like you to have this much hate for someone so easily. All she had done was make Henry happy, technically.

But god, she was disrupting the order of it all. Henry was supposed to be the first one to arrive at Belch’s on saturdays, he was the one that delegated what snacks were brought out, he was the one who tried time and again to throw his back out by refusing help when carrying the cooler through the woods.

But he had been gone. He had been with her.

You had felt his absence all day, itching at your thoughts while you folded up blankets and chatted with Mama Huggins as she made you, Belch, and Patrick lunch.

Belch was supposed to be all light hearted and joking, face flushed from alcohol consumption and munching on a bag of fritos. Now, he was just looking uncomfortable and wearing a fake smile, trying to pretend he wasn’t bothered by the intrusion.

Vic was quiet, Patrick clearly less than thrilled, and you couldn’t help but know that this was what the boys had been talking about just weeks before.

This was jealousy now, not envy. You didn’t want Henry per say, not like that. But you wanted his attention, his presence in your life, and to not worry about some girl you barely knew stomping through the years of friendship between you, him, and the others.

You were jealous she had Henry, you were angry Henry was avoiding you because of some girl, and god dammit you were furious that you didn’t have a good excuse to say all this out loud. If you did, you’d just be proving all the boys right, and part of you worried that you’d seem a little weaker in Henry or Patrick’s eyes.

So you sat there, politely allowing yourself to be silenced as you watch Henry and Carly collect themselves in one of the worn out folding chairs. Henry cracked open a beer in one hand, his other stuck to Carly’s hip as she positioned herself on his lap and held onto a soda, the both of them laying their eyes on you.

“Go ahead, start.” Henry nodded at you, and you saw a flash behind his eyes, a wordless warning not to act up. He was, in his mind, giving you a chance to behave. If you fucked it up this time, you were sure you’d be getting something worse than a cold shoulder.

You sighed softly, collecting yourself and clearing your throat before you set to the page, reading from where you left off, ignoring the coil of submission that built in you.

So no, you hadn’t just realized how fucked everything was while sitting on the bleachers. You had known for days. But now was the time to finally discuss it, between Vic and yourself, like it had always been.

“I don’t know what to do, Vic. Henry likes her, she makes him happy, I guess.” You said dejectedly, watching across the field as Vic smoothed your hair back in a comforting gesture. “It’s not my place to butt heads with him, especially not now, when we’re at odds with each other.”

“But you’re miserable.” Vic quipped, frowning and then nudging you. “You hate her, don’t you?”

“God, yes.” You groaned, “I hate her so much, she’s everywhere I fucking look. Class? There. Lunch? She’s there now too. Henry has made Belch pick her up from home so many times this week that I’m surprised Patrick hasn’t strangled her in the back.”

“Oh, I’m sure he wants to, knowing that boy.” Vic assured you, and you turned your head back to face him, searching his expression, which remained neutral. “Patrick’s picking up on what you’re feeling, and he’s just itching to unleashing it tenfold. If Patrick could have legally done it, I’m pretty sure he would have set her on fire by now.”

Passively, you raised an eyebrow. “You think he hates her that much?”

Vic shrugged, helping you sit up and watched as you situated yourself to sit beside him on the bleachers, stretching your arms out. “I don’t think Patrick hates things. He’s Patrick. If he doesn’t like something, he doesn’t think to even consider it worth his hatred. No.. No, he just wants her gone, just as much as you do. It took forever to get along with you, and that only worked out because you made him like you.”

“I did not.” You huffed.

“Did to.” Vic nudged you with a smirk. “You couldn’t stand him not liking you. You’re so eager to please, Princess, so you spent the better half of two years making that idiot warm up to you, and that’s probably the only reason he puts up with your bullshit.”

“Uh huh, that’s besides the point.” You averted your gaze, thinking to yourself how odd you felt to be pinned under such a accurate description of how yours and Patrick’s friendship came to be.

“Fair enough, but yeah. Carly’s nothing in his eyes, he probably wants to chuck her to the curb and get on with his life, his routine. So…”

You heard his voice tilt and drift off, a telltale sign he was fast at work, the cogs in his mind spinning as he fought to think of something.

“So, he could be of use.” He finished finally, and you blinked, looking back to Vic.

“Dude, what are you even talking about? Be of use to what?”

The blond drummed his nails against the thigh of his jeans, lips pulling into a mischievous smirk that you had learned to associate with Vic thinking of the most blatantly stupid shit, including but not limited to; The time he stole a 40oz from Keenes, when he pantsed the vice principal at homecoming in junior year, and from when he convinced you to help him climb the water tower- where the two of you (being twelve and incredibly stupid) were caught by Butch Bowers and given a weeks worth of community service.

“You’re not gonna like this.”

“Oh, I can fucking tell I’m not.” You replied apprehensively, but a curious and incredibly naive part of you just wanted to know what insanity the boy at your side was cooking up in his twisted little head. “But go on.”

“Hear me out,” He raised his hands, swiveling himself to face you fully and fold an ankle under a knee of his to sit comfortably. “If we want shit to get back to normal, we gotta tip the scales, big time. Henry tossed the dynamic into the trash, so we gotta fuck it up further. We gotta tip those scales into hades, [First Name], and I know just what will throw the balance out of whack enough that Henry Fucking Bowers will actually grow a brain cell and see what he’s fucked with, y’know?”

“Vic, that’s a little dramatic, rane it back buddy, come to the light a little.” You caught yourself holding back a laugh, surprised to see Vic so intense and focused on something that would apparently upset Henry.

“Oh no, we’re going dark, [First Name].” He clapped his hands together once, eyes bright and suggestive. “Are you ready to do what it takes to get Carly Henderson out of your life?”

“I guess?”

“Then date Patrick Hockstetter.”

You gapped at the blond, blinking furiously before letting out a near shriek. “WHAT.”

It echoed, and Belch’s head snapped you face the two of you, getting tackled by someone before he could make sense of anything. You flinched, hissing through your teeth.

“Sorry Reggie!�� You called, and he picked himself up, waving you off as he returned to his practice.

Once his eyes left you, you turned on Vic, voice a low whisper.

“What the fuck, Victor. No, I’m not dating Patrick. Are you insane? You’re talking about ruining the crew, not fixing it. If we dated-”

“[First Name].” Vic held a hand up to silence you. “Shut up for a sec.”

You clamped your mouth shut at the order, but your eyes burned and your nostrils flared.

“Don’t actually Date Patrick, idiot. Fake date him. Let him in on the plan to overthrow Henderson, remind him it’s fake, and this’ll go smoothly.” He paused. “Probably.”

“Probably?” You repeated, voice imitating his tone, if not with a touch more sarcasm.

“Hey, Patrick Hockstetter if a fucking man of his own league. I don’t know what he’s thinking half the time and he has a fixation with fire and probably has a choking fetish. He’s unstable enough that I can’t be one hundred percent sure he’d play the part right, but,” He stressed, shoulders relaxing. “He’d play it well. He’s comfortable enough with you to get hands on at a moments notice, and as long as you’re able to look over your crush for him, I think you two could pull it off.”

You tensed. “What?”

“I said-”

You reached out, snatching his collar and dragging him close, breath playing with the ends of his hair as your eyes froze him from the intensity they held. “How did you know?”

Carefully, slowly, the blond began to pry your fingers from his shirt. “I’ve known since sophomore year, if you’re asking about the crush thing.”

You frantically searched your memories, trying to place what he was talking about. You had only recently found yourself thinking of Patrick that way, he wasn’t even on your radar before then.

“Relax.” You heard him assure you softly. “No one knows but me. The others are about as smart as a bag of rocks, and thats almost insulting the rocks. Patrick has friendzoned you, that much is obvious, so it’s not like its going to be a thing ever. Calm down, I can feel your anxiety, dumbass.”

You let out a shaky breath, surprised by how defensive and scared the possibility of Vic knowing about your feelings for Patrick made you.

“It just, like, happened. I guess.”

“I get it. I used to have a thing for Belch.” Vic waved his hand, and you gave him a mildly confused look. “I hid it well. You’re the only one who knows I like boys and girls, anyhow. I gave up when Belch got his first girlfriend. He’s so hetero is fuckin’ hurts sometimes, it wasn’t worth it to pine after him.”

He shrugged, scratching at his neck. Vic’s eyes wandered across the field and he perked up. “Pat’s coming, you have about a minute before he’s in ear shot. What’s the deal, you gonna do it? Ask him to fake date you?”

You frowned, eyes landing on the dark haired boy who strolled through the edges of the field like a shadow, smoke following him while he carried a plastic bag in his hand and a cigarette in the other.

“What if something goes wrong and I fuck up what we have?” You murmured, voicing your real concerns. “Fake dating or not, I have feelings for him, and that can go downhill really fast. What if we dated instead?”

Vic scoffed. “You think they’d believe it? Really? Us? We’ve slept in the same bed since we were like four, I’ve seen you naked more times then I can count, and the guys know all this.”

Patrick, closer now, held up a hand in greeting, lowering it to his mouth shortly after and sucking on the cigarette he had.

You and Vic raised your hands as well, and you forced a smile.

“Fake it till to make it, [First Name]. Who knows, maybe being his fake girlfriend will make you realize how much of a dick he is and your feelings will change. It’s worth a shot if you want to get rid of Henderson.”

Patrick blew smoke from his mouth and your heart caught in your throat when his grin found you as he rounded the last corner of the field.

“I’ll think about it. Now drop it, and if he asks, we were arguing about anything but Carly, got it?”

He sighed lowly, but acknowledged your request.

“What’re you guys so worked up about?” Patrick said, finally in ear shot as he slowly climbed the bleachers, stomping up and rattling them as he went. The bag was swung into your lap as he dropped between you and Vic, taking a drag of his cigarette and smirking.

“Wondering why it took your ass like twenty minutes to grab some snacks, you dip.” Vic cracked a smile, digging into the pocket of his bomber jacket and opening his pack of gold marlboros, taking one out and patting himself down for a lighter. “Did you get my Arizona?”

“Yeah, I got your fuckin’ tea.” Patrick nodded at the bag, which you opened and started removing items from. “I was making a few rounds too, by the way. How else do you expect me to get extra dough for shit? Sitting on my ass? The only time any of these Derry fucks want to snag some weed from me is after classes are out, everyone’s too much of a pussy to ask for some during school.”

“Expulsion on sight is the punishment for smoking or dealing at school, ‘Trick.” You reminded him, leaning across him to hand Vic his drink.

“Whatever.” He shrugged passively, watching you crack open the drink you requested, a bottle of the rare but delicious ruby red squirt soda.

The three of you fell into casual conversation, though you strained yourself to comply with answers, too focused on the plan Vic had given you, too concerned with weighing your options. You drifted through the rest of the evening, seemingly airheaded and attention stuck elsewhere, Patrick and Belch both checking in with you but only receiving a soft smile and an assurance that you were fine.

The next day came, you were distracted, quiet even in the car. You spent that morning in Vic’s lap instead of Patrick’s and no matter how many times Vic whined for you to smile for the camera as he held his phone up to take photo after photo of the two of you, you would only manage a wry smile that just didn’t do the trick.

Belch even stopped for coffee that morning, though Carly insisted he head out of the way of the gang’s usual haunt of Donut Dans and forcing you all to stop at Starbucks. Sure, the coffee was better, but the defiance and resistance Henry’s girlfriend had to negate the cheaper but well loved alternative left you with a bitter frown all the way back to school.

You leaned against the Trans-Am as students slowly filled the parking lot of Derry High, sipping on your iced coffee and scrolling through your phone. Henry was talking to you more now since the bonfire, but it did little to improve your mood. In fact, you were itching to get away from the gang the moment you exited the car.

Patrick was quiet at your side, coffeeless and smothered in cigarette smoke that morning. He had sucked down two since you got in the car with him, and was on his third. It didn’t take a genius to know something was bothering him too, and you thought back to what Vic had said, about Patrick picking up on your moods and intensifying them.

You tucked your phone away, Henry entertaining the others with a story and the attention solely on him. Patrick however, saw you shift against the vehicle and snapped out of his thoughts, looking to you.

You regarded him quietly, then teetered to the side, bumping his shoulder softly. “Wanna hang tonight? My parents won’t be home ‘till late, Vic is at dance practice until ten, and I’d like to go to your house and watch a movie or something.”

Grey-green eyes considered you, and you noticed how tense his jawline was before it loosened and you saw his posture relax. He had been on guard, you realized, and that fact worried you. Why was he on edge near you?

“I don’t want to be alone.” You admitted to him, giving a little shrug.

Finally, he nodded, lifting his cigarette to his lips. “I’ll let my Ma know you’ll be over for dinner.”

You patted his shoulder, and took a step away from the group. “I’m heading to class. Later Kiddos.”

Saluting them, and receiving a chorus of farewells, you walked away, sipping at your drink and wondering, hoping, if you had made the right choice in seeing Patrick that night.

The Hockstetter home sat idly on a street where every house had a picket fence, neatly clipped lawns and polished cars. The sidewalks weren’t cracked like they were near Belch’s house, or over grown to the point no one could see them on the backroads of Derry that led to Henry’s farm. The trees that lined the backs of houses had tire swings, the gardens that neighbours pruned and weeded were glorious and overfilled with flowers of varying shades and sizes, nothing seeming out of place and brightening the scenery considerably.

The Hockstetter home was nice, a handsome size with white paint, large and spotless windows, with a nice sized front porch that housed several chairs and a couple side tables. The lawn out front was mowed, and the rose bushes that wrung around the front trailed to the back, where you had spent afternoons laying in the grass with Patrick and the other members of the Bowers Gang, chatting amicably or listening to music on a portable speaker Patrick stole out of his dad’s office.

Walking inside, you would meet a foyer with a sizeable staircase, the wall it rested on showcasing shadow boxes of past family members and Charles Hockstetter’s coin collection- which had a few missing pieces, you were always quick to notice.

With hardwood floors, white linen high backed chairs and cream colored couches with perfectly fluffed pillows, you were able to see the stark difference between Patrick’s room and the rest of the house, which his mother had decorated and kept impeccably clean.

It wasn’t always his room, it had once simply been the basement, but once Patrick had started blaring his music at the highest notch on his speakers and bringing girls home, his parents had agreed to let him take over the deepest pits of the Hockstetter house.

It was dark down there, the flood windows covered by thick curtains and the limited amount of false lighting he had were only turned on when guests arrived. Patrick was happy to slink around in the blackness, and you joked with him plenty of times that he had night vision, because he never seemed to trip or stumble in the darkness when he searched out his lamps for you or the others to be able to see in his room.

When those lights came on, you were able to see a messy expanse. His bed was pushed against a center wall, a single blanket and pillow folded around each other on the deep colored forest green sheets, there were clothes everywhere, and spare vinyl records he had never bothered to stuff back in the casings scattered about.

Patrick’s closet was always open, and you could see the basses he stuffed in there and speakers too, or the deep winter clothes he kept carefully hung up, waiting to be used when Maine finally got its snow for the year.

Opposite his bed was a comfy and torn up couch, broken and sagging on some spots, but you loved the piece of trash to death. You’d fallen asleep on it countless times, snuggled in the smell of clove cigarettes, damp earth and a musk that was just Patrick- all encompassing, all comforting. There was a TV across the way, a coffee table in between the two, where Patrick’s boots always seemed to be glued too when watching a movie, an ashtray located there as well, which he actually made an effort to clean up now and again. Aside from that there were bean bag chairs tossed into the corner, usually claimed by Belch and Vic when they hung out, but left alone when you arrived.

You liked Patrick’s room. It was so him, from the posters of horror movies and bands he enjoyed, to the shelving in his room filled to the brim of slasher films, cartoons and thick bound psychology books (which you assumed were for decoration only), the room just said “Patrick Hockstetter”.

Upon entering the house, dropped off by Belch after leaving Vic at his dance studio, you saw Angela Hockstetter turn a corner.

Tired and worn, she still smiled brightly at you, dressed smartly in a pastel green blouse and black slacks. Her hair was still pulled in a tight bun from work, where you knew she spent the day defending criminals and mad men in front of a jury.

“[First Name], it’s good to see you!”

Patrick, as he always did, rounded his mother without so much as a greeting. Her dark eyes followed her son, but they snapped back to you, her smile thinning.

“Nice to see you too, Mrs. Hockstetter. Are you sure you’re okay with me staying for dinner?”

“Oh,” She waved a hand, the light of the foyer chandelier catching a glimmer against the diamond on her wedding ring. “It’s nothing, sweetheart. I’m always happy to have you here. You’re such a good friend to Patrick, and his father hasn’t seen you in ages. We’re having noodles, and since I know you like them, I’ll go ahead and make some tofu spring rolls, with the little peanut sauce.”

As mouthwatering as the food sounded, you still found yourself a little starstruck, seeing as it was laughable how easy it was to forget that Patrick was half vietnamese. It was only when you visited his house that you remembered, his mother’s style of cooking and appearance a reminder each time.

“That sounds amazing,” You nodded eagerly. “If you need help, please, tell me-”

“Don’t worry about it, and,” She looked over her shoulder, to where Patrick hovered by the doorway of the living room, which would lead to a hall that would take the two of you to the basement. “Patrick, don’t forget to wash up for dinner. We have a guest.”

Angela nodded at you, Patrick’s eyes rolling skyward.

He muttered something, and quick as a whip, with a hard smile, Angela snapped something right back at him in her native tongue.

Whatever it was, it made him bristle, and he jerked his head away and said something flatly back in the same language, the whole scene leaving you a little awkward and at the mercy of your gut assumptions that it had to do with you.

“Lets go.” Patrick ordered, leaving with a frown.

“I’ll make black rice pudding too,” Excited by the prospect to have a guest to impress, Angela looked to you with  kinder eyes. “I’ll call for you two when it’s ready.”

Dismissed, you hurried after Patrick, who had thrown open the door to his room and ducked through the doorway to head down the stairs.

You caught up after him, shutting the door behind you and trudging after him in the darkness. As always, you waited at the bottom of the stairs, barely hearing him maneuver through the maze of his room for lamps to light.

When the first one turned on you hopped off the last step, watching the lanky teen make his way over  clumps of loose clothing to turn on a few more lights.

“So, what’d she say?”

His eyes flickered to you as he bent down, turning the last lamp on and straightening. “Does it matter?” He said, the tone in his voice daring you to push.

You didn’t, shaking your head and stepping over the landmines, heading to the couch. “Nah, guess not. At least your mom likes me, I guess. She’s always so annoyed when Henry comes over.”

“She doesn’t like him.” Patrick replied simply, going to the shelving by the television and running a finger across the spines of movies. “She likes Vic though, and Belch. They’re polite.”

You dropped down on a cushion, shifting into a comfortable position and shrugging off your jacket, you bit your lip, noticing how he didn’t agree or repeat that yes, his mother did in fact like you. Angela was like her son, in the way what she could make a convincing face and pretend she enjoyed your company, and she did so with Henry anytime he was over.

“She likes you.” Patrick’s voice brought you from your thoughts and he plucked a movie from the wall, flipping around to face you, regarding you with a barely there smirk. “Incase you were wondering, and I know you were. She likes you, a lot.”

“Ominous.”

“Your family is well off, you’re planning on going to a four year college, you tolerate me.” Patrick’s eyes left you as he spoke, wandering to the dvd player by the tv and messing around with it, opening the movie case. “Honestly, Angela Hockstetter would roll a red carpet out for you every time you came over, if she got the chance.”

You laughed a little. “Thats a little much, don’t you think?”

“Whatever you say.” He replied, rounding the coffee table with the remote in hand, the screen of the television coming to life as he plopped down beside you, brushing against your shoulder and pressing the appropriate buttons to switch to the dvd player input.

“What movie did you pick?” You asked, curious, usually Patrick would ask you your preference for the night and go from there.

“House of Wax. Your favorite.” His lips quirked, a sinister little smile replacing the apathetic expression he had worn since fiddling with the dvd player.

You gave a groan, smacking his chest lightly as he laughed at your side. “You ass.”

House of Wax was not your favorite film, by any means. It as cheesy, sure, with lots of slasher gore that you would normally enjoy, and a handsome villain, but it had always spooked you just a little too much, no matter how many times you’d been forced to watch it. Something about the very idea, of real people being under the wax, was utterly horrifying, and you’d never been able to sit through a few of the scenes, including the god awful sex scenes and cringey 2005 humor.

“I hate you, I can’t believe you’re making me see Jared Padalecki get hosed down with wax for the eighteenth time.” But you curled up your legs on the couch despite your complaints, feeling the normalcy of spending an evening watching horror movies with Patrick taking priority over your indifference for the choice of film.

“More like the twentieth, keep up, Princess.”

A lean arm was thrown over your shoulders as he turned up the volume with the remote and you didn’t resist the hold, scooting closer and relaxing against him, finding him to do the same. Before long, you were sucked in the film, flinching at all the old jumpscares you’d seen time and again, and feeling disgust as the plot progressed. Still, you were hooked, and Patrick was too, laughing where you’d be horrified, and nudging you when that fateful Jared scene arose.

You scrunched up your nose, but watched on.

Sitting there, curled close together and enjoying a horror movie, struck your thoughts. You wondered back to Vic’s proposition, chewing on your lip as the movie went on without your attention, Patrick still absorbed while you thought.

It could be like this. Dating him, fake dating him. It would be easy to fool the Henry and Belch. You’d just need to sneak off to his house more and do exactly what you were doing then, maybe up the PDA since Patrick was constantly all over his dates in the past. The only thing, and it hurt your head to think about, was that there would be the evidence factor.

Patrick Hockstetter was not a gentle lover. His girlfriends returned to school after nights with him showcasing purple and yellow blotches on their necks, or red and raw love bites dipping far past their collar. He’d jerk them around, bite their lips until they were sore and bruised and kiss them until their lungs gave out. He was intense, overbearing, and possessive.

If you wanted to get away with the little trick you wanted to pull, you’d have to ante up more than spending a night on his couch and holding hands in public. You’d have to commit to physical affection, rough grips on your hips, and hickeys across your skin.

Henry wouldn’t believe it otherwise, unless you looked the part of a victim of Patrick’s lust, you’d never get away with it.

“What is it.”

Your head snapped up, and you blinked. “Hm?”

Patrick watched you through long lashes, expression stoic. “What’s wrong? You’re outta it tonight. You’ve been outta it for a few days, actually.”

“Uh,” You almost chewed your lip, but knew it would give you away. “Just stuff, don’t worry ‘Trick.”

“Not worried. Curious.” He stated simply, exhaling softly. “Whatever then, don’t tell me.”

“Don’t guilt me, Hockstetter.”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about, Princess.”

There was a grip of tension in the air, and you could tell Patrick was borderline insulted you wouldn’t fess up to your thoughts. You deliberated your options in silence before sliding away from him, to which he gave an indignant click of his tongue.

“Really?” He almost sneered, eyes hard.

You gauged him thoughtfully, and shifted yourself to face him, a leg hanging off the edge of the couch with the other tucked under you. “Listen, you wanna know what’s on my mind?”

“What gave you that idea?” He snarked, a frown forming. “Why? You actually going to tell me?”

“Yes, if you drop the attitude.” You shot back, and watched as his mouth close, his way of allowing you to continue. “Vic and I were talking-”

“Lord save me.” Patrick cracked an almost disappointed smile, as if he pitied what was to come out of your mouth next. “What now?”

“Shut the fuck up, Patrick. Damn. Give me the benefit of the doubt.”

“When Vic is involved, I’m happy to say that I’m wary of his plots and exploits, thank you. He’s an adrenaline junkie and a party animal when it comes down to it, don’t deny this.”

“Just because he-”

“Just because he what? Drank a bottle of perfume at a party, shattered an urn and lit a kitchen on fire in one night, doesn’t mean I can make an educated guess that what is about to come outta that pretty little mouth of yours is one hundred percent idiocy, through and through?”

Stunned and a little insulted, you frowned. “Forget it.”

“No, do tell, Princess. Entertain me, please.” Sarcasm drenched his words and he stifled a laugh.

“It’s about Carly Henderson.”

The dark haired boy tipped his head back, unleashing an almost earth shattering groan.

“What? What could Vic possibly be cooking up that involves that whore, and why the fuck are you getting involved.”

He wiped a hand down his face, from nose to mouth, watching you with a steely gaze.

“At this point, I don’t want to even tell you.” You threw your arms up, exasperated. “You’re such an ass, why can’t you have faith in me-”

“Prove it then.” He wound his hands up in a fashion, as if near defeat. “What’s the brilliant plan? Are you guys trying to get rid of Carly?”

Your rocked to the side, picking at your jeans. “Yes.” You mumbled.

He rolled his eyes. “Henry’ll run her off soon enough.”

“No, not soon enough, Patrick.” You argued back. “She’s sucking my soul away, I swear. I’m not ready to spend the next however long dealing with her meddling in my life. She’s at the bonfire, she’s at the diner, it’s driving me insane, ‘Trick.”

“You’re being stupid.” He leaned forward, prodding a finger against your forehead, making you wince. “She isn’t worth the effort.”

Annoyed now, you move his hand away. “She is.”

“Fine then. Lay it on me.” Patrick rose an eyebrow, and you noticed how his eyes lingered on the curves of your face before he backed away, letting you breathe.

You exhaled sharply, collecting yourself and then just tossed it out there. “Vic thinks if we fake dating each other, that Henry would see how much he’s fucked with the group and drop Carly.”

Silence, aside from the sounds of a murder about to play out on screen, Paris Hilton’s hiccuping sobs emulating the anxiety surging through your body as Patrick just… Stared at you.

Slowly, he closed his eyes, and shook his head.

“Repeat that.”

“Patrick-”

“Repeat.”

You heaved a sigh. “I want to fake date you to knock Carly Henderson into the grass, alright.”

His eyes snapped open, and the harshness behind them shocked you. “You want to use me?”

“Yes.” You knew that’s what this was, that what you had planned was centered around taking advantage of Patrick’s help more so than anything.

A laugh, bitter and short, left him before he sat up straighter. “Is that what you really want, Princess? Do you want to make the wicked witch of the west go away this much? Enough to ask me, flat out, to let you use me for your own selfish gain?”

Again, with your tongue prodding your cheek and eyes cold, you replied. “Yes.”

He clicked his tongue, sinking back against the couch and considering you with a dark look. “You know, jealousy is really fucking ugly on you, sweetheart.” He said almost endearingly, and you watched him take out a pack of smokes. “So tell me. Do you have a thing for Bowers?”

“No, that’s not what this is about.” You defended, Patrick lighting his cigarette and tossing his pack on the coffee table. “I don’t have a thing for Henry. I swear, I just think it’s unfair and ridiculous to give into Henry’s bullshit when it’s…”

“Distracting attention away from you?” He offered, then held up a finger, thinking out loud. “Diminishing your relationship with Henry? Threatening your position? Making you feel weaker?” He faked a quiet gasp when you flinched at those words. “You’re worried you’ll be replaced, Princess?”

Smoke curled from his mouth, and for the first time in years, you felt almost threatened by Patrick. He was hitting home, striking a match under you, making you squirm.

You hated it.

You launched forward, digging your knees into the cushions and looming above him. Patrick wore an apathetic expression, but you saw how his eyes danced at your show of dominance.

“No one is going to replace me, Hockstetter. I’m going to make sure of that, and you are going to help me keep it that way.” Your lip curled with your words, the dark haired boy below you scratching absently at his jaw.

Arrogant, the both of you. Abrasive, the both of you. Cunning, the both of you.

Patrick tilted his head back, blowing smoke past his lips and watching you closely. “Why should I? I could take this shit to Henry, instead. Get you in trouble.”

Your tongue slid across the bottoms of your teeth. It was a game of control he was playing now, a game of chicken.

Your friend or not, you had insulted Patrick by asking to use him. He wasn’t a tool, you knew he wasn’t, and he knew he wasn’t. You approached the situation wrong, and now you were paying the price. He was furious with you, even if he didn’t say it, his intense and closed off demeanor spoke for itself.

“You want her gone too.”

“Sure. But I’m not willing to fuck with Henry to do it.” Nimble fingers brought his cigarette back, and he sucked on the filter, the end red hot and glowing.

“Yes you are.” You assured him, and finally dropped the last of your regard for space, slipping closer and resting a knee between his thighs, dangerously close to him. The act itself caused him to bristle, but you pressed on, reaching to tuck hair behind his eyes like he would normally do so endearingly to you. His piercings glinted in the light as you continued. “You want it to go back to normal. You’re a man of routine, and Henderson is fucking with you as much as she’s fucking with me, just in different ways.”

“Look at you,” He mused softly. “You really want this, don’t you? Can’t stand anyone possibly taking away your throne.”

“No, I can’t.”

His eyes searched your own, though you were unsure of what he hoped to find. Whatever it was, he must have seen it, because slowly, with a dangerous glint in those bright eyes of his, he smirked.

“What do I get out of this.”

“The same thing I get. Order.” And I know that’s what you want. You thought to yourself, staring him down.

“A common goal for the common good. Not my style, but for you…” Patrick flipped and pressed the cigarette to your lips, little wisps of smoke leaving him as he spoke. “Anything.”

[sjnm3217]

Reflections: Assignment 3

*Caveat: I’m submitting two versions for this assignment as the PDF directly exported from the ai file looks weird (colour-wise) on my computer screen, even though I’ve opted for no compression or conversion. It looks fine on PDF on the school computer though, but I’ve uploaded 2 versions JUST IN CASE!!!

Update: The final PDF has missing elements for the draft artboard, so please refer to either this post or the PNG file for the draft artboard.

2019 really is the year of binge watching, isn’t it? From the breakthrough new series Umbrella Academy at the beginning of the year, to the return of perennial favourites Orange is the New Black and Stranger Things this summer, I felt Netflix really did spoil us silly :-P I thought having a infographic centred on Netflix might be a really fun project to undertake, hence the topic for assignment 3! On hindsight, tapping onto a brand with a pre-existing brand palette would also make the selection of colours for the infographic much easier for me. I didn’t notice that till someone pointed it out during the critique session!

Before starting the infographic design proper, I first looked up examples of infographics online. I really liked how some of them made full use of the context and theme of their infographic, and created such an immersive experience with their creative ways of presenting otherwise drab data. I’ve included a few of my favourites below:

Infographic from the Good Magazine, which commissioned infographic specialists from Always With Honour. Retrieved from: https://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/12/putting-it-in-perspective-largest-bankruptcies-in-u-s-history/

Instead of using bar graphs, the designers chose to represent bankruptcies as shipwrecks. Using the “sinking ship” metaphor, the designers managed to graphically show bankruptcies in perspective by varying size and repetition to create a unique yet aesthetically pleasing and understandable graph. How cool is that.

Behance. (2019). 1910 Making Kimbap [Image]. Retrieved from: https://www.behance.net/gallery/87461175/1910-Making-Gimbap?tracking_source=search%7Cinfographic

I really liked this one too because instead of listing the steps platonically, the designer chose to represent the steps through a cross section of the Kimbap, or rice roll. The body copy was also grouped for easy reading through firstly chunking the information, and secondly categorising them by similarity in typefaces

This was something I sought to emulate in my assignment. As my topic was centred on the habit of TV-watching, I thought – hey, why not frame my data from the perspective of a person watching Netflix on TV? This could definitely anchor my infographic within the theme and make for a more intriguing POV. Thus I came up with the initial artboard for the infographic:

The main body of information would be framed within the TV screen. To overcome space constraints with the restrictive TV screen, I thought of having a Fun Facts section in the handphone screen that the user is holding. In a way, it automatically chunks the information up for easier reading and draws attention to the Fun Facts section.

First Critique

During the first critique session, the feedback garnered was generally positive, with some scepticism about the space constraints posed by the TV screen. On reflection, it was probably better to have mapped out the main dataset on the artboard more clearly, as it posed problems later on. This really showed the importance of sketching!

Second Critique

Eventually, this was the artwork I submitted for the second critique session. In terms of the type of infographic, it would be a mixed infographic, as it contains both elements of an informational and timeline infographic. As I have lots to write for this assignment, I’m going to chunk the writing in subsections, so forgive me please if this writeup looks choppy!

Direction

As the human eye typically reads information from up to down, left to write, I thought it’ll be good to tap on this shared understanding to categorise my information. Starting with the timeline, it’ll move down to the demographics section, then content by genres, fun facts, and finally most popular titles.

Due to space constraints, I scraped the idea of a remote control/human feet/popcorn by the side of the TV frame, and replaced it the title of the infographic. Even though it might create a “gap” in the reading of the information, I thought having the title at the bottom would be even better, as it created better balance with the handphone screen element on the right. The asymmetrical balance engendered by placing the title on the bottom left corner evokes a sense of modernity and movement, and is in fact better than placing the title on the centre top. I also thought it would be quite apt to tap on the slang/euphemism “Netflix and Chill”, hence the title.

Colour

For colour choice and theory, my colour palette was pretty much determined from the beginning due to Netflix’s existing corporate colours of black and red. However, I feel that through the utilisation of limited colours, I still managed to learn quite a bit from the application of colour theory. For instance, when we learnt in class that red is commonly used in entertainment, it didn’t dawn on me till I started doing up the infographic for Netflix. Haha!

Red is a colour used to simulate, create urgency, draw attention. It is good in all 3 aspects of visibility, attention, and recognition. Thus I made use of it to draw attention to title headers, and areas that I wanted to emphasise.

We also learnt that warm colours advance while cool colours recede. Even though white (of the TV and phone screen) is a neutral colour, against a cool, dark blue background it stands out, thus creating an effect of foreground and background without any warm colours. Cool colours give an impression of calm, and creates a soothing impression, and relaxing mood. It gives the impression of the person watching Netflix on TV at night, while mindlessly or aimlessly scrolling through his/her phone.

For my  first draft, I also tried to keep to a limited number of hues - white, black, red, blue, beige - and varied only the values and chroma (e.g. for the bar graph in the content genre section). The main variation of colours – white, red, and black – were also at opposing values, which made the contrast even greater. I noticed that this is a tactic used by many designers, such as the designs for Sin City:

Original Film Art. (2005). Sin City Poster [Image] Retrieved from: https://www.originalfilmart.com/products/sin-city-2005

I really liked the concept for Sin City, it made extremely deft use of shadows to mimic a chiaroscuro style. It really exemplified how to come up with an interesting illustration/infographic with a limited colour palette, but I wasn’t deft enough with the manipulation of shadows and illustration yet. Thus, my infographic came across as too wordy and unsophisticated in the second draft.

Font

Even though design principles stipulate serif font types for titles and sans serif for body copies to ensure better readability, I thought it’ll be more appropriate to use sans serif for the title. This is because Netflix’s corporate font, Bebas Neue (which is sans serif) would ensure better recognisability of the Netflix brand and its identity. To create a form of repetition and dynanism in terms of the typefaces, I used a serif font type - Abril Fatface - as the subheader font, and contrasted it by using another sans serif font - Open Sans - as the body copy. Personally I liked the Abril Fatface as it resembled the typeface used in magazines like the Economist, whilst retaining a modern look, but we’ll talk more about that later :-)

Having standardised font for different sections also ensured better hierarchy within the infographic, helping to segregate the data dump for better readability.

Form

In terms of form, I created the form of a human head using 2 different colours to show light and depth. By showing the light reflecting from the computer screen, a form of a 3D human head came into view, despite using 2 organic shapes with flat colours. It was also my attempt of trying to play with positive and negative to give rise to a more multidimensional form, even though the human head was clearly lacking in any features aside from the exterior shape.

Comments

After the second critique session, I realised my infographic was waaaay too wordy, and lacking in visuals. Elements (such as the timeline) were also not arranged well, giving off an overall haphazard feel. I made sure to improve on these for the second draft. I was also forced to reflect on my font choice - is it the best typeface to use for a contemporary topic?

Final Infographic

I made quite a lot of changes in terms of the final artwork, and I’ll run through the improvements I made here. This is especially so in terms of representing numbers through visuals, instead of relying on just words. I also became more adventurous in terms of experimenting with elements like light and texture, which I felt worked really well for the final submission.

Visuals

Previously, I used words to represent the demographic breakdown of Netflix in America. This time, I decided to use a pie chart, drawing on the concept of closure (reification). By using lines and stars to create the graph in the image of the flag of America, the viewer automatically perceives the shape of a pie chart, even though there isn’t a closed shape in terms of the overall graph.

For the section on content genres, I considered using repetition of different icons, e.g. laughing face, spaceships, drama mask, and placing them close together to form a bar graph, instead of using an actual bar. However, I found such a layout too cluttered due to the limited space for the section, and opted instead to stick to the bar graph, but use an icon at the end of each bar to better illustrate the genre.

I also replaced the words for the most binged watched titles with an illustration of a Demogorgon instead, and reduced the number of titles from 5 to 3 to accommodate the Demogorgon. It was also a nice touch to have the Demogorgon “pop out” from the screen, without letting the artwork be constrained by the phone or TV wireframe. Same for the teardrops dripping out of the eyes!

Colour

With the use of more colours in the final artwork, I had to think more critically about using colours in context. At first, for the eye icon, I used red for the background which drew too much attention away from the number, which was key in the icon. This brought into mind the concept of the colour quadrant, in terms of shouting, speaking and whispering colours. Thus, I replaced the background eventually with gray, even though it wasn’t exactly a variation on the colour wheel, it’s still a reminder of how varying colours in context can better emphasise certain elements.

Font

This time, I removed Abril Fatface as a font, and stuck to using just sans serif fonts for a more modern look. However, for the Fun Facts/Did You Know section, I tapped onto the iconic fairy lights scene in stranger things to spell out the words Did You Know. (For those who didn’t watch Season 1 of Stranger Things, Joyce Byers hung up fairy lights in her living room with the alphabet under each fairy light to create a makeshift Ouija Board).

Light

I found my original infographic kind of flat and lacking in dimension. Thus to better emphasise the effect of different depths, I used the light emanating from the phone to give the impression of the phone being in closely proximity/emerging from the screen. I also gave the human face a light reflecting from the computer screen, and overall background a gradient, all to emphasise multidimensionality in the final artwork.

Initially, I used an outer glow for the phone screen, but I felt that it didn’t gel well with the overall aesthetic.

Texture

I also tried experimenting with texure, by making use of the Grain function in Illustrator. I think it mimicked the graininess of TV, and gave a static feeling, like dust floating through the light! It simulates the grainy textures by implication of how areas of the picture were rendered. I applied this effect on the background, and light reflection (computer and phone screen).

My first try with the Grain effect. I tried to use a radial sort of light/blur effect on the phone screen, like the outer glow, but it took really unnatural. I used a slanting reflection for the final submission.

Data Sources

Timeline

https://media.netflix.com/en/about-netflix

Demographics

https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/18/20699037/netflix-earnings-report-q2-streaming-wars-disney-apple-warnermedia-international

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffewing/2019/02/12/new-research-highlights-streaming-demographic-trends/

Did You Know

https://mentalfloss.com/article/64325/13-facts-about-netflix-recommended-you

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/netflix-declares-binge-watching-is-the-new-normal-235713431.html

Most Binged Watched

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/10/netflix-viewing-records-umbrella-academy-stranger-things-murder-mystery

[littlemissmeggie]

all prime numbers for that ask meme?

oh my gosh, i had to google prime numbers because it’s honestly been about twelve years since i last had to think about what “prime numbers” meant and what numbers were actually prime numbers. 

anyway…

2. Favorite part of writing: i love when i have the big “aha!” moments when i think of a plot point or a scene or even a line of dialogue that fills in a gap i’d been struggling with, whether it’s a gap that really needed to be filled in or was one that nobody but me noticed. and i love when i think of little details to weave into my story that i feel add vibrancy to the story, whether readers notice them or not.

3. Least favorite part of writing: i hate when i get stuck in one spot and i can’t seem to get past it. like, i’ll know what’s supposed to happen next because i have it all outlined and even have specifics of the next bit sketched out but i can’t seem to get over the hump of the part i’m working on, either because i can’t turn my thoughts and ideas from the outline and drafts into words that actually flow together and sound nice or because i just keep staring at my computer screen without any motivation to write.

5. Books or authors that influenced your style the most: definitely j.k. rowling but mario puzo in a big big way. agatha christie probably, too. the godfather most definitely has impacted my writing style. 

7. Favorite author: mario puzo

11. Describe your writing process from scratch to finish: drabbles and short oneshots often just start as a blank google doc, though i usually write at least a couple lines in my notebook; it’s usually the prompt or basic idea, i.e. cornerstone or high school golf!narry + artist!zayn. longer fics, like a little drop for me start as a page in my notebook with basic plot and story idea and then have a list of main characters, a list of settings and locations, and a list of scene ideas that came to mind as i was working through my first page of plot ideas. then i work through "character interviews" and identify the conflict/resolution, major plot points, and the main character(s) objective(s) and stuggles/obstacles achieving their goal. after all of that, i write a handwritten rough draft, outlining the entire story. i start with a typed first draft after that, filling in blanks and adding proper dialogue and adding descriptions of characters and settings from my "character interviews" and location descriptions. i go back through and work out plot holes and any parts i don't like or feel need to be reworked and then do a final draft with editing. the notes feature on google docs and post-it notes to add bits and pieces to my handwritten outline are my best friends when i'm writing.

13. How do you deal with writers block? with longer stories, i often go back to the beginning and reread what i’ve written. it sometimes helps me because, as i’m reading along and picturing the story and the characters and places, i can see what should happen next or gain more insight into what a character was thinking or feeling or find a little breadcrumb that i may have missed the first time around that can sometimes become the catalyst for what i’m missing. i also like to go back to my outline for the same reasons. if all else fails, i take a day off from writing or work on an unrelated drabble or short oneshot to get myself out of whatever universe i’ve been wrapped up in. 

17. On average, how much writing do you get done in a day? it really depends on my “real life,” unfortunately. sometimes i can only write 500 words and sometimes i can write 4,000 and sometimes i look blankly at the open google doc until i decide nothing’s going to come to me and give up for the day. at the height of writing my last fic, though, i was writing about 3,000 to 5,000 words a day.

19. First line of a WIP you’re working on: “Holy shit, Z,” said Niall, reaching out to smack his friend on the arm.

23. Single or multi POV, and why? i write in third-person omniscient. i don’t try to write in that style, it’s just what seems the most natural to me. i feel that i’m very much in each character’s mind and am considering every character’s emotions and thoughts when i’m creating my story so it seems natural to show insight into everyone’s, or almost everyone’s, point of view.

29. Who do you write for? me. i like to write stories that i enjoy going back to read. and i write because it’s an enjoyable hobby that challenges me and that i can improve upon.

31. Hardest character to write: i wrote several short stories that focused on my relationship with one of my cousins and were sort of “what-if” situations—fictionalized events in some sort of weird AU of my own life—that have and never will be posted or published anywhere. only one person has ever read them other than me. and i found that writing myself was the most difficult character to write.

37. Most inspirational quote you’ve ever read or heard that’s still important to you: really, just about anything robin williams ever said. but i’ve always been partial to one of his lines from the movie dead poets society. “no matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.”

41. How many stories do you work on at one time? i usually only write one story at a time, though i’ll sometimes write a drabble or a short oneshot while i’m working on a longer story. as i mentioned in question #13, i often try to deal with writer’s block by getting out of the story and focusing on something else for a bit.

43. Are you an avid reader? i used to be when i was younger; as a kid and teenager and young adult, i read a book a week. since my mid-20s, though, i’ve not read as much. my goal for the summer is to reread the harry potter series, the godfather, and the last don.

47. Do you start with characters or plot when working on a new story? since i mostly write fanfiction, my characters already sort of partially exist anyway, so i start with my basic plot and storyline before going back to shape my characters to fit around the story. when i write non-fanfiction, i feel like my plot and characters sort of form simultaneously. 

53. What does writing mean to you? i went to school and got a degree and then a career in a profession that isn’t my true passion but is something i like well enough and am very very good at and knew i would always be able to find a job doing. but music and writing have always been my two biggest passions, as well as things i’m rather good at. so writing sort of gives me a sense of fulfillment, and engages my creative side, in a way that my “real” job doesn’t. and since it’s something i can constantly improve and, between researching topics for my stories and reading through thesauraus.com and dictionary.com and reading through writing blogs for tips on writing outlines and proper grammar and punctuation, etc, allows me to learn so much, it’s a welcome challenge that’s a much better “hobby” and use of my free time than just scrolling mindlessly through tumblr or watching television.

(sorry this took so long to answer! my real life has been a bit busy with my work schedule! and i try to keep my tumblr use to no more than 15 minutes at a time during the summer to keep myself from getting sucked in for too long. i work a lot from may to october and i don't like to spend all of my free time scrolling through tumblr.)

[wefoundloveunderthelight]

Get To Know You

I was commanded, oh wait it said not like a command, by @welllpthisishappening, cuz I was actually getting to scroll slowly through tumblr today (It's friday, my boss can wait)

1. Why did you choose your url?

My husband and I danced to Ed Sheeran's "Thinking out loud" and I loved the lyrics and thus the name was born. My previous tumblr name was Gleefully-Finchel and then WalkingAnarchyofMonchele which were heavy on ships and I wanted something that wasn't ship related as I was burned out from Glee.

Take me into your loving arms Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars Place your head on my beating heart I'm thinking out loud Maybe we found love right where we are

2. Any side blogs?

Not anymore, I no longer RP so all my side blogs for that got shut down and I don't have the attention span to keep up with more than just this.

3. How long have you been on Tumblr?

I joined tumblr in 2010. Good God that means I've been on here for over 10 years!!! I am a lot more quiet than I was ten years ago on here. I was a very vocal part of the Glee fandom and my opinions flowed freely. I found my original intro of myself that I kept on my blog there and OMG it still holds up (though the age has definitely changed)

And because I get asked this at least once a week, I am 38 years old. Do not think this is a reason to send me a message telling me I'm too old or blah blah blah because trust me, I've heard it all. It's boring. Old people are on tumblr, we're taking over and we're here to stay.

4. Do you have a queue tag?

I barely know how to put things in draft, after 10 years I still don't know how to queue.

5. Why did you start your blog in the first place?

I was in love with Finn Hudson/Cory Monteith and needed somewhere to channel that energy. I was in a sad lonely marriage (to my ex husband), and had no real life friends. I met so many people through that fandom, peeps I still talk to today from all over and some who live in my town. I was able to channel my energy into my tumblr, get my frustrations out on a super frustrating show, and learn to be creative with my art and starting to write fan fiction. It was glorious.

6. Why did you choose your icon/pfp?

It was hard to choose, this blog has rotated around from being a Reylo theme, to a Romanogers them, now to CS theme. I'm all about the aesthetics and color and they have so many beautiful pics to choose but I just loved this kiss more than anything so there it is!

7. Why did you choose your header?

Again, aesthetics and theme, it was a cuddle pic, it was beautiful, and it embodied how I see them. So the icon is modern and the header is not. That was on purpose to show both sides.

8. What’s your post with the most notes?

I have no idea how to find that BUT in the last month it says it was my memorial day update of my 3 WIPS that got the most notes. I don't usually pay attention to any of that.

9. How many mutuals do you have?

Um, is there an internal way to know that. LOL I guess everyone on the CSMM discord chat would be my mutuals, because no one else talks to me through tumblr really that isn't there.

10. How many followers do you have?

199

11. How many people do you follow?

340

12. How often do you use Tumblr each day?

My personal laptop sits next to me while I work on my company laptop all day, I mindlessly scroll through and post beautiful things to distract me from the stress of work throughout the day, even if I don't really get to pay attention to what I'm posting til after work. Let's not talk about how often I'm on after work.

13. Did you have a fight/argument with another blog once?

Not under this username, but I've been going back and re-reading my posts from my gleefully-finchel blog and that girl...that girl was a spit fire and didn't back down from no one. So yes, back then, I got in a few scruffs with people in my own fandom (especially after Lea and Cory started dating in real life and after Season 4 which took a big shit in the middle of my floor) But most of my fights were with anti's and alternate ships (puckleberry, faberry, fuinn) that just couldn't keep themselves out of my ask box.

14. How do you feel about “you need to reblog this” posts?

Nope.

15. Do you like tag games?

I like anything that lets me play along.

16. Do you like ask games?

I do but I don't get asks very often so I don't usually post them.

17. Which of your mutuals do you think is Tumblr famous?

Probably @elizabeethan or @hollyethecurious, but I say that because they were the ones that I first found in the fandom because of their amazing fics that I lurked on and then it just went from there until @kmomof4 started talking to me.

18. Do you have a crush on a mutual?

I'm a married woman dammit. But these women are all super amazing women who run hot damn amazing blogs.

For anyone reading this, please feel free to consider yourself tagged, its always fun to get to know each other.

[lindyhunt]

19 Google Doc Features You Didn't Know Existed (But Totally Should)

A few years ago, as I was scrolling mindlessly through my Facebook News Feed, I found an article that told me I was using paper ketchup cups all wrong.

It turns out you're supposed to fan out the sides of the cup to increase ketchup capacity, like this. Who knew? Well, I recently applied that sense of adventure to another thing I love -- Google Docs. And what I found was just as life-changing.

Sure, you may have been using Google Docs for years, but just as I found, there are likely several useful features you have yet to uncover. For example, did you know you can look at a document's entire revision history to figure out what was changed and when?

Here are 19 sweet features Google Docs has to offer that aren't on many people's radar.

19 Hidden Google Doc Features

1. Add Fonts

When you create a new document, Google Docs starts you off with nearly two dozen native fonts you can choose from using the dropdown list on your top editing toolbar. But, there are dozens more fonts and typefaces available to you in that same dropdown.

To add additional Google Doc fonts, open your document and click the fonts dropdown third box from the left on your editing toolbar. Your default font should be Arial, as shown in the screenshot below.

When your starting font list appears, click the "More fonts..." option -- the first option down, as shown in the screenshot above. This will open a window of additional fonts, as shown below.

From the window that appears, shown above, check off the fonts you want to add to your starting dropdown list of fonts. Then select "OK" at the bottom. You can even explore new fonts by their general theme and appearance using the "Show" dropdown.

When you return to your document view, you should see your selected fonts included in the fonts dropdown.

2. Templates

Why start from scratch when you could use a template? Whether you're using Google Docs to write your resume, draft a project proposal, craft a business letter, formalize meeting notes, or design a brochure, you can bet there's a template for that. In fact, there are templates for almost all your business needs. And for every category, you'll find multiple templates to choose from.

This feature isn't exactly hidden, but it's often overlooked. You'll find all these templates at the top of your Google Doc homepage. Click More at the top right to browse through all the options.

3. Table of Contents

Writing a long document with a lot of subsections that readers may want to jump to? The handy "Table of Contents" add-on automatically creates a navigation sidebar. Simply click through the headers and subheaders in the sidebar to easily jump from place to place in your document. It can be a little slow if your document's really long, but it does the trick -- and it's still better than scrolling.

To find the add-on, click here or open your document and click Add-ons from the menu at the top of the page. Choose Get add-ons... and search for "Table of Contents."

4. Create or Remove Header

Headers and footers are particularly useful when creating a Google Doc that has many pages. You can create a header that includes the document title, each page number, or both on every page all at once.

To Create a Header

To create a header on Google Docs, double-click on the very top of one of your pages and begin typing your header text. You can also select "Insert" from the top navigation toolbar, then hover your cursor over "Header & page number" for a slide-out option that allows you to order your pages by increasing numerals.

Using either process, you'll create a header that looks like the screenshot below. This will appear on every page.

To Remove a Header

But removing this header once you've created it isn't as obvious of an option. To remove a header from Google Docs, simply remove the text included in the header, then click out of the header space and back into the document's body text.

To Change the Header Size

To shrink the size of a header from a Google Doc and use this space for more body text, change the margins of the page. To do so, click "File" in your top navigation bar, then "page setup..."

From here, you can narrow the page margins to a custom size, or using a preset "Paper size" from the options shown in the screenshot below. This will enable you to pull in or push out the header margins to your liking.

5. Clear Formatting

If you've ever pasted text into a Google Doc from another location, you've probably encountered formatting issues. It can happen for a variety of other reasons, too. Instead of editing that text manually to fit into the correct formatting, you can simply highlight the offending text and go to Format > Clear Formatting right in the toolbar. Boom: It'll format the foreign text to fit with the rest of your document.

6. Create a Folder

Because Google Drive stores your documents on the cloud, multiple people often use the same Drive account for sharing files with one another. Over time, this can make it difficult to organize your own documents. To store them all in a neat, safe place, make a Google Docs folder just for you or your team.

To create a new folder for your Google Docs, select the blue "New" button on the top left of your Drive account. This is also where you go to create a Google Doc, as shown below.

From the options that appear, select "Folder" and title your folder with a label you'll remember. This folder will then appear under the "Folders" section of "My Drive," as shown below.

7. The Research Tool

The Research tool is a godsend for anyone writing something in Google Docs that requires online research. Why? It allows you to research and refer to information and images online without every having to leave the document. That means no more clicking back and forth endlessly between tabs.

You can open the Research tool on a computer in one of three ways:

Open your document and open the Tools menu at the top of your screen, then click Research from the dropdown menu.

Right-click on a specific word and select Research.

Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Cmd + Shift + I (Mac) or Ctrl + Alt + Shift + I (PC).

Here's what it looks like when I right-click the phrase "Welsh corgi" in my document:

When I choose "Research 'Welsh Corgi,'" the Research tool appears on the right-hand side of my document. It looks like this:

When you first open the Research tool, it might show you topics related to what it thinks you're working on based on what you've written already. You can either research those suggested topics by clicking on them, or you can type in your own search terms in the search bar.

You can also choose what type of content you want the tool to spit back when you search a term. Use the dropdown menu next to the search bar to see the different types of information for that topic.

Here's what each type means, according to Google Support:

Everything: Text and images related to your topic from any source.

Images: Images related to your topic found on the web.

Scholar: Educational information related to your topic that you can read, add to your file, or cite in a footnote.

Quotes: Quotes related to your topic that you can add to your file.

Dictionary: Definitions, synonyms, and antonyms related to your topic.

Personal: Results from your personal documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and photos that you can open, cite, or link to from your file.

Tables: Data presented in tables related to your topic that you can open, cite, or export.

Right now, the Research tool is only available on computers and Android mobile devices. (Learn how to use the tool on Android devices here.)

8. Suggesting Mode

While the capability to edit and make changes in a document is great, there are times when you only want to suggest changes -- without actually making any. That's where "Suggesting" mode in Google Docs comes in handy.

It works a lot like Comments in Microsoft Word. First, switch from "Editing" mode to "Suggesting" mode by clicking the pencil icon at the top right of an open document, and then choosing "Suggesting."

From there, anything you add, delete, or otherwise change will show up as colored marks in the document, accompanied by details on the righthand side such as the name of the suggestor and a timestamp.

Image Credit: Google Support

9. Comments

If you want to ask questions about, make notes in, or highlight changes you've made in a Google Doc you're working on, you can leave comments directly in the document. The comments can act as a conversation thread, as people can reply to them and carry on a conversation. You can close the comment thread when it's done. You can also edit or delete your comments at any time, or others' comments if you own the document.

To add a comment, highlight the text or image you'd like to comment on. Then, choose Insert from the menu at the top of your screen, and choose Comment from the dropdown menu.

From there, a blank comment will appear on the right-hand side of your screen.

Tag People in Comments

Want to comment on a document and get a specific person's attention? You can do that by tagging them in your comment. All you have to do is add an @ or a + sign, and then begin typing their name or email address. Google Docs will give you a couple options based on your Gmail contacts, and once you've submitted the comment, it'll notify that person you mentioned by sending them an email.

If that person doesn't already have access to the document, you'll be asked to choose permission levels for them.

10. Footnotes

Footnotes are quick and easy things to add to your Google Docs, but not many people know about them. To add a footnote, put the cursor in the part of the document you want the footnote to appear, and go to Insert > Footnote. From there, simply type in to your footnote whatever you'd like, and click onto the document to save it.

11. Find and Replace

Did you ever want to locate multiple instances of an error in a text document and correct them all at the same time? Google has heeded your call with this nifty shortcut.

If you've ever used "Find and Replace" in Microsoft Word, you're in luck: Google Docs makes it just as easy.

To find something specific in your document, select "Edit" in your top navigation bar and click "Find and replace" at the bottom of the dropdown menu. You can also type Command + F on an Apple keyboard (or Ctrl + F on a Windows keyboard), then click the "..." icon in the box that appears to the top right of your Google Doc.

Either process will call up the window shown below, where you can type in the text you'd like to find and replace it with corrected text. If the error appears more than once, click "Replace all."

12. Revision History

Speaking of revising content ... have you ever wanted to see all of the changes you (or someone else) made in a Google Doc? Better yet, have you ever wanted to go back in time and revert to an earlier version of your document? Thanks to the Revision History feature, you can. And it's awesome.

All you have to do is open the document and go to File > View Revision History. A panel will appear on the right-hand side of your screen showing an overview of who made changes and when. For a more in-depth view of the changes that were made, click the detailed revisions button below the overview list.

13. Voice Typing

Have Google Chrome as your browser? Have a working microphone either built in to your device or connected externally? Then you can "type" in a Google Doc using just your voice. To indicate a punctuation mark, simply say the name of it out loud, like "period," "comma," "exclamation point," or "question mark." To begin a new line or a new paragraph, say "new line" or "new paragraph" out loud.

To get to voice typing, open a document and click Tools from the menu at the top of the page. Choose Voice typing... from the dropdown menu. When you're ready to speak your text, click the microphone or press Cmd + Shift + S (on a Mac) or Ctrl + Shift + S (on a PC) to begin recording.

Want to voice type in Google Docs on your phone? Voice typing only works for computers, but many iOS and Android mobile devices have built-in microphones you can use with a document.

14. Keyboard Shortcuts

There's something so satisfying about knowing the keyboard shortcuts for whatever application you're using, and Google Docs has a ton of them to choose from. A lot of them are the same as in other applications, such as Cmd + C (Mac) or Ctrl + C (PC) to paste, or Cmd + B (Mac) or Ctrl + B (PC) to bold something. But it has a few unique ones, too. Here are a few of my favorites:

Shift + T = Create a new document.

Ctrl + Alt + M = Insert a comment.

Alt + I (in Google Chrome) or Alt + Shift + I (in other browsers) = Open the "Insert" menu.

Hold Ctrl + Alt, press N then H = Move to the next heading.

See the full list here.

To display the list of commonly used shortcuts while you're working in a document, press Cmd + / on a Mac, and Shift + / or Ctrl + / on Chrome OS or Windows. You can also just click the gear icon in the upper left hand corner of your screen and choose "Keyboard Shortcuts" from the dropdown menu.

15. Create Your Own Shortcuts

Google Docs may have a lot of shortcuts available to us, but what if we want to make a few of our very own? To create custom shortcuts, go to Tools > Preferences > Automatic Substition. You might find there are a few in there already (like changing 1/2 to ½), but feel free to add in some of your own.

16. Conference Calls

Google Docs is a collaborative platform -- and the "UberConference" add-on makes it even more collaborative by letting you conduct an audio conference call right from the document. All you have to do is turn on the add-on and invite your friends or colleagues. When they accept, everyone will be able to view and edit the document while participating in a conference call.

To find the add-on, click here or open your document and click Add-ons from the menu at the top of the page. Choose Get add-ons... and search for "UberConference."

17. Image Editing

Once you've inserted an image into your document, you can still edit it within the document. Click the image in your document, and the toolbar at the top will change to all the tools you can use to edit your image. Crop it, mask it, add borders to it ... there are a lot of possibilities in there.

Below are two examples of great image editing tricks: cropping and adding a border. (And if you ever want to reset an image back to its original form, simply select the image and click the "Reset Image" icon in your toolbar.)

Cropping Tool

Select an image in your document and click the crop icon in your toolbar. From there, drag and drop the blue handles until you've cropped the image to your liking. To save it, click "Enter" on your keyboard or just click back into your document.

Borders

To add a black or colored border to any image, select the image and click the line color icon in your toolbar (which looks like a pencil). Select the color you want the border to be, and voilà! To save it, simply click off of the image.

18. Dictionary

Ever written a word and wanted to double-check you're using it correctly? What about writing a word that you want to find a synonym for? Instead of opening up a new browser window, you can look up the definition for that word right inside your document -- as well as get synonym suggestions.

All you have to do is highlight the word, right-click on it, and choose Define. The Research tool will look up the word on the internet for you, and its definition will appear on the right-hand side of your screen.

19. Language Accent Buttons

Gone are the days of memorizing accent shortcuts (and getting them wrong), opening up international keyboards and clicking keys manually, and copy/pasting from other documents. If you ever find yourself writing in a language other than English, the "Easy Accents" add-on could save you a lot of time. It lets you insert accents for 20 different languages directly from a sidebar in your document.

To find the add-on, click here or open your document and click Add-ons from the menu at the top of the page. Choose Get add-ons... and search for "Easy Accents."

I'll bet you didn't know at least a handful of these ... Now that you do, put them to good use in your next Google Doc. Want more ways to use Google to create an effective marketing campaign? Download the free guide below.

[itsthespotsblog-blog]

Album Review: Steven Haslinger - “You Can Have It All” (2018)

Have you ever wondered if the bittersweet musings of a Frankie Cosmos or a Nat Johnson could be replicated without their quirky and relatable lyrics?  Or, if you’re like me, do you ever long for an artist or album to come out that perfectly captures the hazy melancholy of living in the suburbs? For me, the two go-to records for such a specific mood are usually Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs (duh) or Beck’s Sea Change – both being beautifully produced, twinkling slogs of depression that usually scratch that specific aesthetic itch I’m looking for.  The problem is that I can only listen to those albums so many times before I start to drown in either the former’s pretentiousness (the older I get, the less I want to hear about teenage angst) or the latter’s emotional martyrdom; they’re not what you would call “on-constant-repeat” listens, at least not for me personally, masterpieces though both are.

About a week ago, I found myself scrolling through the new arrivals section at the bottom of Bandcamp, mindlessly searching for any of the preview tracks to catch my interest.  I wanted some warm, atmospheric soundscapes to soundtrack my work on a history powerpoint; nothing too structured that would prevent my concentration, just some ambience in the background.  I saw the cover for You Can Have It All, and immediately I felt that I knew what I was in for before I even clicked the preview track – a fuzzy, purple-filtered image of what looks like a boy’s bedroom: I was definitely in for a reverbed heatwave. Honestly, after the first track, “Sunshine (Intro)”, I was still pretty sure that I knew the beats that were going to be hit throughout the rest of this 33-minute project: ambient synth drafts with improvised guitar overlays – nothing too dissimilar from countless Soundcloud hipsters with a loop pedal that I’d heard many times before. Perfect.

The second track threw all preconceived notions I had going into this project away.  A sudden kick of soft drums, complete with sloppy, Mac DeMarco-esque guitar chords – that is, until around the one-minute mark where the one riff continually repeats overtop of some shoegaze waves, burning away in the background.  My boring space-filler had suddenly become a Pastels instrumental!  By track three, “Edmund (Loop)”, in which bouncy, robotic synths take up the first half of the track before being replaced by an emotional progressive ambient punch that even Ben Lukas Boysen would take notice of, I was hooked.  Needless to say, my powerpoint didn’t get very far that day.

What Steven Haslinger’s strength is on this record is his ability to continually build an affective structure to each song, but never to where it sounds like he’s repeating himself. Most instrumental guitar-based internet musicians that I listen to are obsessed with exploiting one riff over and over again until you just want to turn the album off.  Haslinger, by contrast, has already mastered the use of atmospheric sound to create vivid imagery – on his first project, no less!  Though all tracks here are indeed minimal guitar soundscapes, each track is surprisingly and subtly layered, with tracks reminding me of indie game soundtracks (“On The Docks”), romantic stargazing (“Stargate”), lo-fi Nils Fraham (“Emune”), or even artists from the Paradise of Bachelors music label (“Mills Cider”).  The whole album feels very nostalgic and very cinematic, with a bittersweet twinge that make it irresistible on melancholic evenings.  Finally, we have an unpretentious, universally appealing, independent musician making the soundtrack to all of the lonely, suburban kids out there – move over Arcade Fire, move over Beck, Haslinger’s record is now on full-blast in the bedrooms of teenage introverts – or at least it should be.

Haslinger himself is only described on his Bandcamp profile as a “Michigan guitarist”, and this record is apparently just a compilation of material he had made the previous year – the highlights, no doubt.  All I can say is that if this guy can make music of this quality only by himself, then he has a bright future ahead of him if he continues down this path.  His sound is limited, but it feels homemade, not raw; it’s equal parts ambient, atmospheric, post rock-flavored, soundtrack-esque.  It’s this intimate universality that makes this guy’s music so appealing to me.  You Can Have It All sounds like it could either be a coming-of-age movie or rural science fiction, best for listening to on noise-cancelling headphones, late in the evening, while musing about either wayward crushes or ambitious future quests.

Listen/Buy the album here: https://stevenhaslinger.bandcamp.com/releases